Raring to see action: Paulo Josue’s present on his birthday is to get a win against Nepal for Malaysia while Safawi Rasid (below) is ready to play inspite of the fasting month.
Birthday boy hoping to go full throttle against Nepal in friendly
PETALING JAYA: Can Harimau Malaya midfielder Paulo Josue bag himself a birthday gift against Nepal today?
Josue, who just turned 35 yesterday, will take on Nepal in a closed door friendly today as part of the Harimau Malaya’s preparations ahead of their World Cup 2026-Asian Cup 2027 second-round qualifiers against Oman.
Malaysia will play Oman, who are currently in second-place in Group D, on March 21 in Muscat and on March 26 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Despite not being able to celebrate his birthday with his family, Josue said the joy was still shared among his teammates at the centralised training camp.
“I am happy to be here with the boys. Of course, I miss my family but this is the sacrifices we have to go through for the country,” he said.
“It is good to be here and get the call-up for the national team again.
For the match today, Josue said it was an important fixture even though it was only a friendly.
“One match before the qualifiers is not enough, I think most countries in the world are already playing their respective leagues now.
“Unfortunately Malaysia has not started the league yet, so that is an issue we are facing right now.
“But the coaching staff have tried to give us the best to improve our match fitness ahead of the match,” said the Kuala Lumpur player.
He added that the fixture against Nepal will truly be a test match on their fitness level.
“We have to go out there and survive 90 minutes while playing with good intensity,” he said.
“There is a chance for us to get a good result if we manage to control our opponents.”
Meanwhile, 27-year-old Safawi Rasid said they were managing their training routines well during the fasting month.
“There is no issue with training during the fasting month, the coaches have done the training schedule so we have more time to rest,” he said.
Currently on loan in Terengganu from Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), Safawi said the Turtles’ early pre-season training has benefited him in the centralised training camp for the Harimau Malaya.
“Terengganu had the earliest pre-season training which also included high-intensity sessions. So I feel that there is no issue for me if I am called up.
“My confidence in the team has been good and I hope to get the chance to play against Oman,” he added.
