Lions Head Coach Tsutomu Ogura and Hariss Harun at the pre-match Press Conference, 19 December 2024.
KUALA LUMPUR, 19 DECEMBER 2024 – Causeway bragging rights and a place in the semi-finals of the 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup beckons for the Singapore Men’s National Team as they face Malaysia in a do-or-die clash at the Bukit Jalil Stadium on Friday (20 December).
Despite suffering a heartbreaking 4-2 loss to Thailand in their previous Group A fixture despite taking a two-goal lead, second-placed Singapore are in control of their destiny.
Two wins from their opening two group games – a 2-1 win over Cambodia and a 3-2 triumph over Timor-Leste – means the Lions only require a draw against Malaysia to advance to the semi-finals.
Despite holding an advantage on the points table, Lions captain Hariss Harun believes his team will be in for a real challenge.
“It’s a hugely important game for both teams. They have more of an advantage especially since they are at home and are fresher than us, whereas we have played four games on the bounce so it’s going to be tough for us,” said the 34-year-old skipper, who missed the previous two games due to niggling injuries.
Head Coach Tsutomu Ogura echoed his captain’s sentiments, while emphasising the role of recovery in navigating the intense schedule.
“For me, one of the key points for this game is our recovery and conditioning. It has only been two days since the last game – so when our players are getting tired, how we recover and prepare for the next game is very important,” said the 58-year-old.
Lions Captain Hariss Harun at the pre-match Press Conference, 19 December 2024.
Hariss is no stranger to such causeway derbies, having already made three appearances against the Malaysians in the ASEAN Championship. As a senior figure in the squad, he is looking to use that valuable experience to guide the younger players.
“I have faced Malaysia a couple of times both home and away and the rivalry we share is indeed something special. We also have other players in the squad who have played in these matches like Safuwan (Baharudin), Izwan (Mahbud), and Shahdan (Sulaiman), so we are able to help the younger ones realise the importance of this occasion.”
While the Lions had little time to recover from their tough defeat to Thailand, Hariss believes his team will take the confidence drawn from their impressive first-half display against the defending champions into the Malaysia game.
“I believe the team has it in us to manage this situation, so we just have to focus on what we want to achieve as it all boils down to that 90 minutes tomorrow,” said Hariss.
“After all, it’s a game in which we have to run and do even more than we had ever done before to get Singapore into the semi-finals. We are ready to battle it out, as it always has been between Singapore and Malaysia.”
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
