KUALA LUMPUR: A win over lowly Bangladesh tomorrow will not only secure Malaysia a place in the semi-finals of the Junior Asia Cup (JAC) in Muscat, Oman, but also a ticket to the Junior World Cup (JWC) in India next year.
The top six teams from the 10 teams competing in the JAC qualify for the JWC.
Malaysia should win easily, having beaten Bangladesh 5-1 in the JAC in Oman last year and 8-0 in Kuantan in 2015.
But Malaysia coach I. Vickneswaran warned his team not to be complacent. "We have to be cautious and need to be 100 per cent focused against Bangladesh as they can jeopardise our chances of reaching the semi-finals," he said.
Malaysia started their JAC campaign by beating China 5-2 and Oman 9-1. After the Bangladesh match, the Young Tigers' remaining preliminary round fixture is against Pakistan on Sunday.