KUALA LUMPUR: Tajikistan are clueless about Malaysia ahead of the AFC Under-16 Championship.
The Central Asian team do not have enough information on Lim Teong Kim’s side, who they will face in their opening Group A match on Thursday in Bukit Jalil, following the decision by the Malaysian coach to send a mixed squad for last month’s AFF Under-16 Championship.
Tajikistan coach Zainidin Rakhimov admitted that Malaysia is a mystery to him.
“Frankly, we do not know much about Malaysia. What we can do is to analyse their previous matches, comprising mix-and-match players, and come up with an effective strategy,” said Rakhimov after his team thrashed CIMB-YFA 10-1 in a friendly in Pudu Ulu on Sunday.
“We did not do anything special ahead of the tournament, but I am happy with our preparations. Our goal is to play entertaining football here.
Japan and Thailand make up Group A.
“The weather here is affecting my players as they get tired very quickly during training. Even today, this was a problem, but I believe my players will adapt with the weather before the opening match.
“We will focus on one game at a time and hope for good results,” Rakhimov added.