Comments on U23 Indonesia vs U23 Malaysia, 20:00 on July 21: Breaking the curse

TPO - Football prediction U23 Indonesia vs U23 Malaysia, Group A U23 Southeast Asia 2025 at 20:00 on July 21 - information on forces, expected lineup, form, history of confrontation. U23 Indonesia has not won against U23 Malaysia for the past 16 years. With great ambition and home field advantage, Little Garuda will break the curse to advance to the semi-finals.

Comments before the match U23 Indonesia vs U23 Malaysia

The unexpected 0-2 defeat of U23 Malaysia in the opening match against U23 Philippines made the clash between the Malayan Tigers and U23 Indonesia the final of the group. With 3 points from the victory over U23 Brunei, U23 Malaysia must defeat U23 Indonesia to have any hope of advancing. Things are even more difficult because U23 Malaysia must win by more than 2 goals. U23 Indonesia is not allowed to rest. Although they accumulated 6 points after the first 2 matches, they are not allowed to go empty-handed in the last match. At least Little Garuda must get 1 point.

In the past, matches between Malaysia and Indonesia at all levels have always been tense and dramatic. That is why Indonesia U23 coach Gerald Vanenburg likened this match to “a derby”, and besides determination, his team needs to give their opponents a certain amount of respect. In a history of many ups and downs, but no matter the circumstances, Malaysia always knows how to make Indonesia uncomfortable with discipline, tightness and sharp counter-attacks.

So for the past 16 years, U23 Indonesia has never enjoyed the joy of victory against U23 Malaysia. They hope history will change in the tournament taking place at home, where they have scored 9 goals and not conceded a single one. With the quality of the squad and strong investment in both human resources and football thinking, U23 Indonesia is capable of winning.

Form, head-to-head history U23 Indonesia vs U23 Malaysia

Since 2009, U23 Indonesia has never defeated U23 Malaysia in an official match. In 16 years, the two teams have met 6 times with 3 victories belonging to the Malayan Tigers, along with 3 draws. In the 2017 U23 Asian qualifiers held in Jakarta, the team from the archipelago suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat at home. Most recently, at the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 tournament, U23 Malaysia also won 2-1.

However, U23 Indonesia has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years. Last year at the U23 Asian Cup, they held South Korea to a 90-minute draw, and defeated Jordan and Australia. In the same tournament, U23 Malaysia lost all three group stage matches, including a 0-2 defeat to U23 Vietnam.

Team information U23 Indonesia vs U23 Malaysia

Both teams have their full squads. For Malaysia U23, they put their faith in Scottish-born talent Fergus Tierney, alongside Haqimi Azim, who scored two goals against Brunei. On Indonesia U23's side, Dutch-born star Jens Raven, with six goals to his name, is aiming to add to his tally to consolidate his lead in the race for the Golden Boot.

Expected lineup U23 Indonesia vs U23 Malaysia

U23 Indonesia: Ardiansyah, Ferrari, Pamngkas, Darwis, Scheunemann, Fikri, Hanan, Mualana, Arjuna, Firmansyah, Raven.

U23 Malaysia: Sharani, Yusuf, Hakimi, Shamsul, Danish, Izwan, Tierney, Khalik, Haykal, El Basheer, Rosli.

Score prediction U23 Indonesia 2-1 U23 Malaysia

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