Malaysia will give a young national team a baptism of fire against three English premier league teams in a mew tournament next month, an official said today.

Newcastle United, Chelsea and Birmingham United will compete with Malaysia for the English FA Premier League Asia Cup here July 24-27. It is the first tournament outside Britain sanctioned by the English Football Association Premier League.

The average age of Malaysia's team will be about 22 years, assistant chief coach B Sathianathan said in a statement.

"The Premier League Asia Cup will accelerate the maturation of the young players in the same way that the experience of playing Brazil and Manchester United did for several players in the last two years," he said.

"There is nothing like playing against teams you admire and respect. It does wonders for the players' confidence."

Peaking in time

Sathianathan said the low average age of the 25 players in training for the cup was a strong indication that youth-group players are maturing faster and staking their international claims earlier.

He said the tournament would allow the players to peak in December for the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam in December and the pre-Olympic second round in March next year.

For the English teams it will be a chance to prepare for the 2003-2004 season, while giving their fans in soccer-mad Malaysia a chance to see them in action. - AFP