BURIRAM: North Korea can take a giant step towards reaching the 2019 Asian Cup Finals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) should they beat Malaysia in a Group B qualifier at I-Mobile Stadium on Monday.
The 4-1 win achieved over Malaysia on Friday showed the vast difference in class between both teams and the North Koreans are confident they can hammer Nelo Vingada’s boys again for three points.
Coach Jorn Andersen was particularly pleased with the manner of victory on Friday and the Norwegian believes it will be another walk in the park on Monday.
“I will make changes but we will see tomorrow. We have watched videos of matches involving Malaysia but I was surprised that Vingada opted for many young players on Friday. But it did not matter to us as we won easily,” said Andersen on Sunday.
When asked to compare his current team with the 2010 World Cup side, Andersen, who has been with North Korea for the last 18 months, said: “It is difficult to make a comparison. I don’t know the team from 2010, but I believe they were good.”
“However, our current team are strong too. We have recorded many great victories of late. The players are working hard and they are eager to take the next step forward,” the 54-year-old added.
Judging from the easy win over Malaysia on Friday, Andersen may opt to rest some of his regulars on Monday.
The former Mainz 05 manager is aware of the challenges in the winner-take-all showdown against Hong Kong in March but he is confident that another win over Malaysia will see the pieces fall nicely together.