KUALA LUMPUR, Tajikistan head coach Gela Shekiladze has indicated he plans to use the 2024 Merdeka Tournament to prepare his team for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying rounds, scheduled to begin in March next year.
He shared that his team’s goal is to qualify for the Asian Cup for the second consecutive time, after they managed a historic quarterfinal appearance in their debut earlier this year in Doha, Qatar, and believes that the Merdeka Tournament can allow him to gauge his team’s strength, especially with the inclusion of five new players.
‘Last year it was good preparation for us ahead of the Asian Cup in Qatar because there were strong opponents and good (tournament) organisation.
‘Of course last year we won, it was an amazing time for us and the players got self-confidence, this year we try to get to the final again but for me, it’s more important to prepare the team for the Asian Cup qualifiers because now there’s a change and new blood is coming,’ he said at a pre-match press conference at the Na
tional Stadium, Bukit Jalil here today ahead of tomorrow’s semi-final clash between Tajikistan and Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Tajikistan midfielder Parviz Umarboev is anticipating a tough match against Lebanon, partly due to the weather, which he described as quite hot during the evenings.
‘Everything is okay but the only question is why we have to play at this time (4.30 pm) because it is a bit too hot and maybe this time the team can’t show good quality football because it’s a bit too hot, but against strong opponents, we prepared seriously and we want to achieve the final stage.
‘Moreover for us, the most important now is to prepare well for the Asian Cup qualifiers,’ he said.
Another Merdeka Tournament semi-final action tomorrow sees Home team Malaysia will meet the Philippines in the other semi-final match here tomorrow, with the two winning teams playing in the tournament final on Sunday at the same venue.
Tajikistan won the 2023 Merdeka Tournament after beating Malaysia 2-0 in the final.
Source: BERNAM
A News Agency
