Harimau Malaya open the FIFA ASEAN Cup against Bangladesh in Jakarta

Harimau Malaya begin the FIFA ASEAN Cup on Friday, and they do it at a ground that belongs to neither side. The opener against Bangladesh is at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, where Indonesia are staging the whole of Group A.

The fixture

Kickoff is at 17:00 Malaysian time on 25 September, in the Division 1 group stage. Jakarta runs an hour behind Kuala Lumpur, so a four o’clock kickoff there is five o’clock at home.

It is the first of three matches in seven days. Harimau Malaya face the hosts at the same ground on 28 September, then Singapore at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung on 1 October. Both of those kick off at 20:30 Malaysian time.

The group, and the ranking gap

Group A is Indonesia, Singapore, Bangladesh and Harimau Malaya, while Group B holds Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Pakistan.

FAM’s media release for the tournament puts Harimau Malaya 136th in the world and Bangladesh 181st.

The two sides still to come are closer: Indonesia are 118th and Singapore 148th, which makes Friday the widest ranking gap of the three.

A gap of that size settles nothing on its own, and the release claims nothing beyond the numbers. The group is decided over three matches, not one.

Where the form comes from

The last competitive football Harimau Malaya played was the ASEAN Championship, and it ended with a 2-0 defeat away to Vietnam in the semi-final.

Across that whole run, their last five matches in the competition brought two wins and three defeats. It is a small sample.

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