Bandar Seri Begawan: A place in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 is on offer for the winner as Brunei Darussalam and Timor-Leste face each other in a do-or-die qualification round – the first leg of which will be played at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium on Tuesday.
The first leg will be followed by the return fixture at the Chonburi Stadium in Thailand on October 15, with the aggregate winner booking their place in the tournament and joining two-time defending champions Thailand, four-time winners Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia in Group A.
Meanwhile, Group B of the regional showpiece, scheduled for December 9, 2024 to January 5, 2025, features two-time champions Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar and Laos.
Tuesday’s hosts Brunei DS are looking to book their third overall and second consecutive ASEAN Championship appearance having defeated Timor-Leste 6-3 on aggregate in the qualification event for the 2022 tournament, with their other appearance coming in the inaugural edition in 1996.
With Scotland's Jamie McAllister now at the helm, the Hornets will be banking on the experience of goalkeeper Haimie Nyaring and centre-back Yura Indera Putera to keep things tight at the back while the likes of Hakeme Yazid Said and captain Azwan Ali Rahman will shoulder the attacking responsibilities.
McAllister’s side will be full of confidence having posted five wins on the trot since March and not conceded a single goal in their last four outings while scoring six times. They began their impressive run with a 3-2 win against Vanuatu before winning twice against both Sri Lanka and Macau.
Meanwhile, Timor-Leste only featured in two international fixtures so far in 2024 registering one win and a defeat, although it was the Southeast Asians who progressed to the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers after a 4-3 aggregate win against Mongolia in a double-legged playoff.
O Sol Nascente are aiming to reach the finals of the ASEAN Championship for the fourth time and after a four-year hiatus. Having made their tournament debut in 2004, they qualified for back-to-back editions in 2018 and 2020 but are yet to claim a point in the competition.
Chilean tactician Simon Elissetche will prepare them for the qualifiers in his second stint with the team with 26-year-old Joao Pedro and 19-year-old Zenivio among those who impressed against the Mongolians last month.
Brunei DS and Timor-Leste have locked horns in the qualification rounds of the ASEAN Championship nine times since 2007, with the former winning six of those and the latter taking victory in the other three.
And with plenty riding on this fixture, their meeting once again promises to deliver the goods for Southeast Asian football fans.
Qualifiers Schedule
First Leg: Brunei Darussalam vs Timor-Leste
Venue: Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Bandar Seri Begawan
Kick-off: October 8, 8:30 PM (Local Time)
Second Leg: Timor-Leste vs Brunei Darussalam
Venue: Chonburi Stadium, Thailand
Kick-off: October 15, 7:30 PM (Local Time)
Photo: Federacao Futebol Timor-Leste
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