Indonesia faces Malaysia in friendly match

Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian soccer team will face Malaysia on Wednesday in a friendly ahead of its World Cup qualifying match against Turkmenistan in the Asia Group 8 tournament.

The 18-play squad, left for Malaysia on Tuesday. The Turkmenistan match is scheduled for March 31.

The warm-up against Malaysia will be held on Wednesday night at the Johor Baru Stadium, Johor Baru, team assistant manager Mafirion said.

The team, under Bulgarian coach Ivan Kolev Venkov, is also scheduled to play top Thai club Bec Tero Sassana either on March 24 or 25, before it heads to Turkmenistan.

If Malaysia fielded its top players, the game would be a good preparation for Indonesia, Mafirion said on Tuesday.

Kolev initially called up a squad of 24 players for the trip but six were later dropped -- five for indiscipline during training. They were goalkeeper Mukti Ali Radja, defender Djet Donal La'ala of Persija Jakarta, striker Kurniawan Dwi Julianto of Persebaya Surabaya, midfielder I Putu Gde of first division club Arema Malang, and midfielder Isnan Ali of Persikota Tangerang.

Meanwhile, striker Purwanto of PSIS Semarang failed to join the team in training, reportedly suffering symptoms of dengue fever. He was axed for failing to promptly notify the team manager of his condition.

The exit of the six, four who used to be starters in the team, has left Kolev with little options in his strategy.

However, Mafirion said Kolev should be able to cope, having chosen a versatile top-class squad.

The second round of Asian qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup consists of 32 teams split into eight groups of four. Only Group winners advance to the next stage.

Indonesia is drawn against Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka. Indonesia's first match ended in its 3-0 drubbing away in Saudi Arabia last month.

With Saudi Arabia the strong favorite to win the group, Indonesia is likely to be left fighting for second-best finisher.

Indonesian team:

Goalkeepers: Hendro Kartiko (Persebaya), Jendri Pitoy (Persikota)

Defenders: Hari Saputra (Persikota), Firmansyah (Persikota), Hamka Hamza (Persik), Warsidi (Persija), Maman Abdurachman (Persijatim) Bejo Sugiantoro (Persebaya)

Midfielders: Aples Tecuari (Persija), Agus Indra Kurniawan (Persija), Agung Setiabudi (PSIS), Alexander Pulalo (Persib), Ponaryo Astaman (PSM), Syamsul Bachri (PSM)

Strikers: Bambang Pamungkas (Persija), Elie Aiboy (Persija), Budi Sudarsono (Persija), Zaenal Ichwan (Deltras)