Bernhardt To Give New Faces Chance To Shine Against Brunei

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- A number of new faces are expected to be given a chance to prove their worth when the national Under 22 (U-22) squad takes on the Brunei national team in an international friendly at the Paroi Stadium, Thursday. National U-22 head coach Frank Bernhardt said he would field a blend of new and experienced players for Thursday's match after a couple of key players were floored by injury. "We had a series of injuries within our team and I have decided to give some new faces a chance. I hope they can learn something in the match," he told a pre-match press conference Wednesday. The 47-year-old German said he would make a slight change in the team line-up from the team that played against the Bahrain U-22 squad in an international friendly that ended scoreless on Aug 30 before Bahrain picked up a 2-1 win in their second match, two days later. Meanwhile, Brunei assistant coach Ali Mustafa said Brunei had blended a team of young and experienced players for the match which would serve as a preparation for two important assignments. He added that the match would serve as a platform to test the players ahead of the AFF Suzuki Cup qualifying competition from Oct 15-21 in Cambodia and the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur. Both teams will again on Saturday at the same stadium. -- BERNAMA