THE Myanmar under-21’s head coach, U Nyan Win, said he expects the team to reach the semifinals in the Brunei King’s Cup which runs from March 3 to 12.

“I am satisfied with the team even though we only had 11 days to prepare for the match,” U Nyan Win told The Myanmar Times on February 26 before the side left for Brunei Darussalam.

“We should reach semifinals. If we can improve on our weak points and play our best, I am sure we can reach finals,” he said.

Myanmar was drawn in Group B of the eight-nation tournament alongside the Philippines, Cambodia and the hosts Brunei. The tougher Group A comprises Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, making it difficult to tip who will advance from that group.

U Nyan Win said he would employ the 4-5-1 formation which Myanmar players were familiar with, although he kept his options open. “If we need to, we’ll change to a 4-4-2 formation. If we need to accelerate the attack, we will employ a 4-3-3 formation,” he said.

Myanmar played the Philippines in their first match on March 3. On Monday the side meets Cambodia, before facing Brunei in the last group match on Wednesday.