Malaysia must not take lowly Laos lightly, warned national Under-23 centreback Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar.
That is because one bad game could lead to Malaysia going home early from the AFF Under-23 Championship at the Prince Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Friday.
The Group B match between Malaysia and Laos has turned into a winner-take-all match following the withdrawal of Indonesia and Myanmar due to several Covid-19 cases in their teams.
Harith, 19, who was a player in Malaysia's Under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers last year, said there is so much at stake in just one game.
The Selangor player said although Malaysia had beaten Laos 1-0 in the Under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers in Mongolia, Laos are no longer the whipping boys in the region.
"All matches come with pressure and this time we face a must-win match against Laos, so there is a bit more pressure," said Harith today.
"We beat Laos 1-0 in Mongolia in a tough match. They seem to have most of the players from that squad this time, while we have a different squad with several new faces compared to the Asian Cup qualifier.
"However, everyone in the team has been working hard in training and is ready to give their best."
Meanwhile, coach Brad Maloney has dropped defender Zikri Khalili from the squad due to knee injury, and his spot is set to be taken over by Fahmi Daniel Zaaim once his quarantine ends. Fahmi tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in Phnom Penh last Friday.
Maloney said he expects a tough fight from Laos who are coached by German Michael Weiss.
"Laos have Weiss coaching them now, and he's an experienced coach in this region," said the Australian coach.
"We need to be level headed, a win will get us the chance to play two more matches."