U.23 Malaysia coach is worried about the extremely hot Bung Karno stadium, the 'weapon' that helps Indonesia win the championship

According to coach Nafuzi Zain of U.23 Malaysia, Indonesia, with the home advantage and enthusiastic support from fans at Bung Karno Stadium, will be the brightest candidate to win the U.23 Southeast Asian Championship, while ignoring the teams of Vietnam and Thailand.

Malaysia coach responds to Thailand opponent's statement?

Coach Nafuzi Zain made the above statement at a press conference before the opening match of Group A of the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament between U.23 Malaysia and the Philippines at 5:00 p.m., and then the match between host team Indonesia and Brunei at 8:00 p.m. on July 15, both taking place at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium with a capacity of more than 77,000 spectators.

Indonesian fans are very enthusiastic every time the teams compete at Bung Karno Stadium, which will be an advantage for the home team to win the U.23 Southeast Asian Championship, according to the coach of the Malaysian team.

Photo: Reuters

"Personally, I think the U.23 Indonesia team will be the brightest candidate for the U.23 Southeast Asian championship this year. They have a huge advantage as hosts and always play in front of the most enthusiastic fans. They also have a quality squad and are led by a coach from the Netherlands (Mr. Gerald Vanenburg)," said coach Nafuzi Zain.

"We will face Indonesia in the group stage (last round on July 21). It will be a match that fans of both countries are looking forward to. The result will also decide which team will advance to the semi-finals. It will certainly be a very exciting match. But first, U.23 Malaysia needs to perform well and achieve positive results in the opening match against the Philippines, then Brunei, before heading to the decisive match against Indonesia," said coach Nafuzi Zain.

Also according to coach Nafuzi Zain: "Although this is only a U.23 tournament, I think Indonesian fans are passionate and always support their home teams. They will come to Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in large numbers and promise to be no less than when supporting the national team. This is the strength of the Indonesian team. I hope that the U.23 Malaysia team will overcome all this pressure, enjoy an exciting match and possibly shock the opponent."

Previously, the coach of the U.23 Thailand team, Mr. Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, said that there were only 2 opponents that he was most afraid of in the journey to win the U.23 Southeast Asian championship, which were the U.23 Vietnam team and the host Indonesia, while ignoring the Malaysian team.

Accordingly, coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul explained: "U.23 Vietnam is the team with the best preparation for this year's U.23 Southeast Asian tournament. They have been focusing and practicing for the past 2 months. While Indonesia is the host team, they will certainly have many great advantages. These will be the main opponents of U.23 Thailand in this tournament."

In the group stage of the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament, the U.23 Thailand team is in Group C with Myanmar and Timor Leste. The U.23 Vietnam team is in Group B with the remaining 2 teams, Cambodia and Laos. Meanwhile, in Group A there are 4 teams including host Indonesia, U.23 Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei.

The teams will compete in a round robin format, with the top three teams from each group and the second-placed team with the best record advancing to the semi-finals. The tournament will take place from July 15 to July 29 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta and Patriot Stadium in Bekasi.

Watch the full 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Football Championship Mandiri Cup™ live on FPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-u23-malaysia-bat-an-du-bao-san-bung-karno-cuc-nong-vu-khi-giup-indonesia-vo-dich-185250715092207778.htm