Malaysia captain Safiq Rahim has resumed training after a thigh injury and hopes to be available for Thursday's AFC Asian Cup playoff against Timor-Leste.

The first leg at Larkin Stadium will be followed by the second leg on Monday night at the same venue, with a place in the third round of qualifying for UAE 2019 at stake.

Safiq missed the 0-0 draw against Myanmar in Yangon on Saturday night as Malaysia once again lacked penetration.

The deadly set pieces of the Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) superstar are considered critical to helping Ong Kim Swee's side re-find their scoring touch.

"He's a valuable player and a great leader so we are hoping he recovers in time to play against Timor-Leste," assistant coach Brad Maloney told ESPN FC from Johor Bahru where Malaysia have been training.

Maloney added that the trip to Yangon was a useful exercise in helping experiment with some new combinations in a non-competitive game.

"Against Myanmar, we managed to try a few players in different positions in a lead up to Thursday's game," he said.

"Myanmar were very good, fit and sharp, so our defence had their work cut out for them and did a commendable job."

Australian-born Brendan Gan missed the match due to a stomach bug but is expected to be available for the Timor-Leste games.

Head coach Ong says the late arrival of JDT players because of last week's AFC Cup tie affected preparation. Almost half the national squad come from the Malaysian, AFC Cup and FA Cup champions.

"The Myanmar game was important to get our combinations right. The JDT players reported for training only on Thursday but they showed plenty of positives," Ong said.

"The AFF Cup is not for another six months, so the draw against Myanmar fits both teams."

Timor-Leste lost 2-0 to Cambodia in a friendly in Phnom Penh on Sunday night.

Malaysian officials will be watching to see if the Timorese field their seven Brazilian-born players who were the focus of a complaint from Palestine to FIFA last year because of questions about their eligibility.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Jason Dasey

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]