THE organising committee for next month’s SEA Games in Laos last week unveiled the draw for the men’s football competition, grouping Myanmar with Singapore, Indonesia and the host nation.

Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, East Timor and Cambodia were lumped together in Group A at the November 8 draw.

The top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals, with the winners from those matches meeting in the final on December17.

In their opening match on December 5, Myanmar’s U-23 side will face Laos before meeting Indonesia on December 7 and Singapore on December 10.

U Tin Myint Aung, the head coach of the U-23 team, said he expected host nation Laos to provide a tough test for Myanmar because they have had a lengthy period to prepare for the games.

“All the sides in our group are strong and have prepared well for the SEA Games so it will be difficult for us to pass through the group stages,” he told The Myanmar Times on November 12. “We certainly can’t afford to take any of the other teams lightly, especially given some of our best players, like Myo Min Tun and Yarzar Win Thein, are out injured.”

“But anyway, we are working hard at the moment to polish our skills before the tournament starts. On November 14 and 17, we are going to play friendly matches against a Myanmar Selection Team and two other foreign teams,” he said.