Singapore head coach Bernd Stange is taking a cautious approach as his side prepare to take on archrivals Malaysia in a do-or-die final Group B match at the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup.
The defending champions will go through with a win, but a draw may suffice if Myanmar fail to defeat Thailand in the other Group B game held at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
The German tactician was all smiles at the pre-match news conference held at the M Hotel and was keen to rally home support for Saturday's match.
"I think altogether, we are looking forward to have a great football day here in Singapore tomorrow (Saturday) and that is exactly what our game needs. A full capacity stadium, committed players and a derby. This is what we need in this part of the world... I am quite excited to see how this match goes tomorrow." quipped Stange.
His Malaysian counterpart Dollah Salleh agreed with the German but stated that his team know they have no other choice than to go out and win the game if they are to progress to the semifinals along with group leaders Thailand.
He said: "Of course we are looking forward to play against Singapore and we will try to give something to the Malaysian fans. We desperately need a win to make sure we qualify and I believe it will not be easy... we will give our very best and show the fans something new."
Malaysia have a single point from their goalless draw against Myanmar and anything less than a victory against the Lions will see them packing their bags for an early flight home across the causeway.
With so much at stake, Singapore will have to deal with the suspension of veteran defender Baihakki Khaizan along with the tournament-ending ankle fracture suffered by midfielder Shahdan Sulaiman in their 4-2 win over Myanmar, but Stange is unperturbed and insists his squad can cope without the star duo.
"We have 20 players available tomorrow as you know Bai [Baihakki Khaizan] and Shahdan[Sulaiman] are out. We will have to substitute both and see how we manage that. Today will be the last training session and then we will think about that and adjust our team...not so easy replacing two experienced players but we are well prepared and have to win as well because we can never be sure what is going on with Thailand and Myanmar." added Stange.
He was also quick to point out that his team's defensive frailties is down to the fact that they have switched to a more attacking style of play, which in turn makes them defensive more susceptible at the back.
"As you know, if you have a strategy and your strategy is attacking football... then you must be aware that there are some departments you will lack. This is a concern I have but our strategy is to believe in our way [attacking football] and that is why we have to live with that [defensive issues]."
The Lions' manager knows that, besides walking into a heated derby cauldron, his team will come up against a Malaysian side "who are a wounded animal after the results of this tournament, and that is why this team are extremely dangerous," in particular striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha who has failed to light up the tournament in the first two matches.
"I think he [Norshahrul] is not used to playing on artificial turf. I believe that he can perform. I always knew he would do something special, even yesterday in training, I told him last two games he really didn't perform and he promised me that he will do something special for me," declared Dollah.
And as Malaysian striker Safee Sali puts it, "This is our last chance."
The match will kick off concurrently with the other Group B game between Thailand and Myanmar where Radojko Avramovic's team need a big-margin win against Kiatisuk Senamuang's all-conquering War Elephants to stand any chance of qualification.