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MALAYSIA will face arch rivals Vietnam in a rematch of last year's Laos Sea Games final in the opening match of the Millennium Cup (Under-23 tournament) in Ho Chi Minh City today.

Vietnam are hungry for revenge after they were edged 1-0 by Malaysia in the Sea Games final and the hosts have the perfect opportunity to settle scores in front of their passionate fans.

National coach K. Rajagobal hopes his players will be able to hold their nerves when facing Vietnam.


"It will, no doubt, be a difficult match as Vietnam are a good team. It will be good test for my players. Of course, I want a good result," said Rajagobal, who named 20 players for the tournament.
This is the first competitive tournament for the national Asian Games squad since last December's Sea Games.

"It is a perfect opportunity for me to gauge my players in a competitive environment. Those who impress will certainly earn a place in my Asian Games squad," he said.


The coach is also hoping to use the tournament to find an able replacement for striker Zaquan Adha Radzak, who has been ruled out of the Guangzhou Asian Games with a serious knee injury.

In Zaquan's absence, Norsharul Idlan Talaha and Ahmad Fakri Saarani, who both featured in the Laos Sea Games, will lead the strike force in Vietnam.

"There are other options but we will see how they (Norsharul and Fakri) perform in Vietnam," added Rajagobal.


The national team's other matches are against Iran on Thursday and Singapore on Saturday.