Malaysia 2023 AFC Asian Cup Squad
Head Coach: Kim Pan-gon
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of Birth/Age | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GK | Azri Ghani | 30 April 1999 (age 24) | 0 | 0 | Kuala Lumpur City |
16 | GK | Syihan Hazmi | 22 February 1996 (age 27) | 18 | 0 | Johor Darul Ta’zim |
23 | GK | Sikh Izhan | 22 March 2001 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Negeri Sembilan |
2 | DF | Matthew Davies | 7 February 1995 (age 28) | 47 | 0 | Johor Darul Ta’zim |
3 | DF | Shahrul Saad | 8 July 1993 (age 30) | 54 | 5 | Johor Darul Ta’zim |
4 | DF | Daniel Ting | 1 December 1992 (age 31) | 4 | 1 | Sabah |
5 | DF | Syahmi Safari | 5 February 1998 (age 25) | 26 | 1 | Johor Darul Ta’zim |
6 | DF | Dominic Tan | 12 March 1997 (age 26) | 24 | 0 | Sabah |
15 | DF | Junior Elstal | 16 September 1991 (age 32) | 21 | 0 | Dewa United |
21 | DF | Dion Cools (captain) | 4 June 1996 (age 27) | 21 | 4 | Buriram United |
22 | DF | La’Vere Corbin-Ong | 22 April 1991 (age 32) | 31 | 4 | Johor Darul Ta’zim |
25 | DF | Khuzaimi Piee | 11 November 1993 (age 30) | 9 | 0 | Selangor |
8 | MF | Stuart Wilkin | 12 March 1998 (age 25) | 16 | 4 | Sabah |
10 | MF | Endrick | 7 March 1995 (age 28) | 9 | 0 | Johor Darul Ta’zim |
14 | MF | Syamer Kutty Abba | 1 October 1997 (age 26) | 32 | 1 | Johor Darul Ta’zim |
17 | MF | Paulo Josue | 13 March 1989 (age 34) | 8 | 4 | Kuala Lumpur City |
18 | MF | Brendan Gan | 3 June 1988 (age 35) | 34 | 1 | Selangor |
20 | MF | Afiq Fazail | 29 September 1994 (age 29) | 5 | 0 | Johor Darul Ta’zim |
24 | MF | Natxo Insa | 9 June 1986 (age 37) | 1 | 0 | Johor Darul Ta’zim |
7 | FW | Faisal Halim | 7 January 1998 (age 26) | 29 | 14 | Selangor |
9 | FW | Darren Lok | 14 December 1990 (age 33) | 30 | 6 | Sabah |
11 | FW | Safawi Rasid | 5 March 1997 (age 26) | 58 | 20 | Terengganu |
12 | FW | Arif Aiman Hanapi | 4 May 2002 (age 21) | 23 | 6 | Johor Darul Ta’zim |
13 | FW | Mohamadou Sumareh | 20 September 1994 (age 29) | 31 | 7 | Johor Darul Ta’zim |
19 | FW | Akhyar Rashid | 1 May 1999 (age 24) | 46 | 10 | Johor Darul Ta’zim |
26 | FW | Romel Morales | 23 August 1997 (age 26) | 0 | 0 | Kuala Lumpur City |
Most Capped Player: Soh Chin Ann – 195
Top Goalscorer: Mokhtar Dahari – 89
Malaysia 2023 Asian Cup Preview
Malaysia head into the 2023 Asian Cup as huge 200/1 outsiders with leading football betting apps to win the tournament for the first time in their history. In fact, in their three previous appearances at the Asian Cup, they have never made it past the group stages.
Consequently, it comes as no surprise to learn that the best online gambling sites give Malaysia little or not chance at all of qualifying from Group E this year either. They feature in Group E alongside one of the pre-tournament favourites South Korea, Jordan and Bahrain.
Leading UK betting sites don’t give Malaysia much of a chance at all this year. They have failed to qualify for the last three Asian Cup’s, and the last time they did in 2007, they lost all three group games, conceding 12 goals and scoring just one.
South Korea are of course the favourites to win Group E, with both Jordan and Bahrain also fancied ahead of Malaysia to progress to the knockout stages at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
One thing worth mentioning though is that Kim Pan-gon’s side have only lost one of their last 11 matches, drawing just three and winning the remaining seven. So their form is pretty strong, but they are still seen as one of the weakest teams in the tournament.
Malaysia Player To Watch
Given the fact they are one of the lowest ranked teams in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, there are very few standout players in their ranks. That being said, their squad does seem to be very experienced. Of all of the players in Kim Pan-gon’s 26-man squad, winger Arif Aiman Hanapi looks like a bright spark.
The 21-year-old winger plays his club football for Johor Darul Ta’zim in Malaysia’s Super League. In fact, he played a huge part in Johor DT’s Super League victory this season, lifting the coveted trophy in December just past. Johor Darul Ta’zim won the league by a massive 15 points, scoring 100 league goals and conceding just seven all season.
Arif Aiman Hanapi played a huge part in this successful season for his club, scoring 17 goals during their unbeaten league season. He chips in with a lot of goals for a winger, as well as contributing huge amounts of assists as well.
He scored six goals in his last three games for his club before travelling to Qatar for the 2023 Asian Cup. Not to mention scoring four for Malaysia in a friendly a few months back too. Arif Aiman Hanapi is certainly a player to watch for Malaysia at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
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