CHANGSHU: Forward Akhyar Rashid is ready to tear Jordan apart if he starts in Saturday's AFC Under-23 Championship Group C match at Changshu Stadium in China.
The 18-year-old will likely make the starting line-up after N. Thanabalan picked up a hamstring injury in the 4-1 defeat to Iraq on Wednesday.
Akhyar made an impression as a substitute against Iraq when he created a chance for teammate Safawi Rasid to score Malaysia's only goal of the match in the 79th minute.
"I played for 30 minutes against Iraq. It was tough as the weather was cold. The match was really fast and I had breathing problems due to the weather
“I think we played OK except for some mistakes we made," said Akhyar.
"I hope I will get some minutes or start against Jordan. The chances of playing is brighter following Thanabalan's injury."
Akhyar said his team need to pull off something special to create an upset against Jordan, who finished third in the 2013 edition.
"We have a disadvantage in terms of physical as they are bigger and taller. However, we can overcome this factor by playing to our strengths and also minimising mistakes," Akhyar added.
Translated from Harian Metro