Malaysia head coach Tan Cheng Hoe has made clear that his side will not be underestimating Bangladesh when the two nations meet in Friday's opening match of the FIFA ASEAN Cup at Jakarta's Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

Bangladesh will face Malaysia at 3pm Bangladesh time, with both teams looking to begin their campaigns on a winning note in what promises to be a keenly contested Group A encounter in the Indonesian capital.

Speaking at Thursday's pre-match press conference, Cheng Hoe stressed that opening fixtures in any tournament carry their own unique difficulties, regardless of the perceived gap in quality between the two nations on paper.

"We respect Bangladesh, they came with solid preparations. We know it's a tough game in the first match of every tournament but we are ready," he said.

The Malaysian coach also revealed that newly appointed Football Association president Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan has set his side an ambitious target of reaching the tournament final, a goal Cheng Hoe framed as motivation rather than added pressure.

"We are taking the target set by the new president as a challenge. In football, every match and every point is important. So it is very important for us to start with a good result against Bangladesh," he said.

He confirmed that all 23 players in the Malaysian squad were fully fit and available for selection, despite having been forced to make late adjustments to the original travelling party in the days before departure.

"All 23 players in the squad are ready for the Bangladesh match. We are happy to have everyone together. Unfortunately, we had to replace three players in the last few days after the squad was announced," he said.

Cheng Hoe was careful to avoid looking beyond Bangladesh, insisting his focus remained squarely on the opening fixture before any consideration would be given to Malaysia's subsequent meeting with hosts Indonesia.

"Yes, of course, my focus is on tomorrow's match. After that, we will look at the developments and the result we get. At the same time, everything needs to be focused on tomorrow's match," he said.

He did, however, acknowledge that facing Indonesia carried its own significance, describing the historic rivalry between the two Southeast Asian nations as one that always generates considerable excitement among both sets of supporters.

"Of course, playing against Indonesia is always an interesting match. We know the result is something that will be fair for everyone," he said, addressing the fixture that will follow Bangladesh in Malaysia's group schedule.

Cheng Hoe went further still, openly naming Indonesia as his pick to top Group A, largely due to the number of Indonesian players currently plying their trade across various European leagues abroad.

"I am confident that in this group, Indonesia will be the favourites because they have some of the best players playing in Europe and abroad," he said, offering a rare public assessment of the group's overall balance of power.

Malaysia's schedule sees them face Indonesia at the same venue three days after the Bangladesh match, before closing out their group campaign against Singapore at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung on October 1.