Pau Marti Vicente, head coach of the Malaysia national football team, expressed optimism ahead of the Pestabola Merdeka 2024 final against Lebanon.
Drawing on Malaysia’s recent history against Middle Eastern teams, Marti, formerly a coach with Barcelona’s youth squad, emphasized that their experience over the past two years has fully prepared them for this crucial match.
Marti pointed out that Malaysia has faced similar teams, such as Oman, Jordan, and Syria, whose style of play and quality are comparable to Lebanon.
“We have learned a lot from those matches and now need to show how well we can adapt to this situation,” Pau Marti said.
He also noted that while football can be unpredictable, the focus must be on tactics and maintaining a strong mentality.”
The coach added that his players are eager and motivated to perform in front of their home crowd, with hopes of claiming their first trophy in over a decade.
He acknowledged the importance of being more aggressive, with better transitions between offense and defense, while also capitalizing on opportunities and defending strongly against a challenging opponent.
Marti concluded by stating, “We are fully prepared and 100 percent focused on winning this trophy. We need to give our best and, with some luck, we hope to celebrate a victory tomorrow night.”
Pestabola Merdeka 2024 final between Malaysia vs Lebanon will be played on 8 September 2024 at 9.00 pm. at Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.
Credit Photo : FAM
