Spurs first to play Malaysia in pre-season

Spurs first to play Malaysia in pre-season

 

PETALING JAYA: English Premier League (EPL) outfit Tottenham Hotspur will be the first European side to stop over in Malaysia for their pre-season tour this year.

National team coach Dollah Salleh confirmed on Monday that the national his team will play a friendly against the London-based club at the Shah Alam Stadium on May 27 before the Harimau Malaya begin the second round of the Asian zone World Cup qualifying campaign in June.

Another EPL club – Liverpool – have also confirmed their trip to Malaysia and they will take on the national team in an exhibition match at the same venue on July 24.

Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, are in the midst of arranging a friendly with Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in July.

“We are running out of time to arrange friendly matches before the World Cup qualifiers, so I will use the match against Spurs to test the players,” said Dollah before leaving for Oman with the national team on Monday.

The national team will play a friendly against Oman at the Seeb Sports Stadium in Muscat on Thursday.

“People might say we are playing ‘circus matches’ and that these friendlies against the English Premier League sides are not beneficial to the national team ... but the reality is we’re playing against teams who are better than us,” said Dollah.

“These matches will give our players a chance to gauge themselves against world-class teams and learn from the experience.”

Source :Malaysian Insider