Indonesia vs Malaysia 05/09/19

5 September 2019

Indonesia will look to post their third consecutive win over Malaysia when the two nations face off at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in the opening match of Group G of the AFC’s Round 2 qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

It will be the hosts’ only fourth match since the turn of the year (W2, L1), with two of their last producing over 4.5 total goals. Although they win sporadically, the Red and White tend to do it to nil, with five of their previous six triumphs being accompanied by a clean sheet. Unbeaten at home in their last six outings (W4, D2), the Garuda’s Team scored 3+ match goals three times across those games while keeping a clean sheet on four occasions in the process. Another encouraging fact for the home fans is that Indonesia secured four straight wins at home against Malaysia, all of which have seen them score two or more goals and prevent the visitors from scoring more than one.

On the other hand, Malaysia’s four-game winning streak was brought to a halt in August when they lost 1-0 to Jordan at home. It was their sixth defeat in the last 12 months – fourth that has ended with the same 1-0 scoreline against their favor. The Malayan Tigers rarely bounce back after conceding the opener, as they’ve returned just five points (W1, D2) in the last seven games where they conceded the first goal. Also, Skuad Kebangsaan win and lose in sequences when away from home. Although they won both of their trips ahead of this match, they have struggled to pick up a victory in three consecutive away games prior (D1, L2). Both of Malaysia’s defeats in that period have been to nil while both of their last wins saw them score 2+ match goals and concede precisely one.