WORLD No 6 Lee Zii Jia has rallied his teammates to share the belief that they can end Malaysia's 30-year wait for the coveted Thomas Cup in Bangkok this week.
Speaking to the press on the eve of Malaysia's opening Group D tie against England today, the 24-year-old admitted that his current form and confidence will amount to nothing if the rest do not play their part.
On the back of his recent success at the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in Manila, Zii Jia said: "Of course I am confident after winning the BAC last week, but this (Thomas Cup) is a team event.
"I want Malaysia to be crowned champions, but we will need everybody in the team to share the same goal and target. I cannot do this on my own.
"Our preparation for the Thomas Cup has been good, and I think it was very important that we all got some good rest after the BAC, here in Bangkok."
Zii Jia, who will be making his third appearance in the Finals since his debut in 2018, is expected to take to the court in the first singles match against world No 53 Toby Penty.
While he fancies his chances against the English No 1, Zii Jia noted that he had faced trouble in the past when playing lower-ranked opponents.
"It's a real challenge because the pressure is very different when you play a lower-ranked player. I don't want to be caught in that web.
"Toby is an established player and has done well in Europe. He will come out strong, and I need to be ready.
"The first tie is always crucial. We need to shake off the jitters.
"The conditions here in Bangkok (Impact Arena) are very different from Manila (Muntilupa Sports Complex), I think it's better, so hopefully, we will get off to a good start," added Zii Jia, who turned professional in January.
Barring any upsets, Malaysia are expected to score a comfortable 5-0 win in their opening fixture.
Tokyo Olympics bronze medallists and world No 7 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will likely face world No 20 Ben Lane-Sean Vendy in the first doubles match, while veteran Liew Daren could be called upon to play England's 2021 national champion, Johnnie Torjussen in the second singles match.
Malaysia could field world No 11 Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi or world No 14 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani in the second doubles match against the likely pairing of world No 49 Callum Hemming-Steven Stallwood.
As Malaysia will only play Japan in the final Group C fixture on Wednesday, chances are likely that world No 46 Ng Tze Yong will be rested so that he could be handed a run on the court as first or second singles tomorrow against the United States.
If this is the case, former Asian junior champion Leong Jun Hao will likely be selected ahead of Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin as third singles.
Jun Hao, who made his Thomas Cup debut in Bangkok four years ago, will likely play 19-year-old Cholan Kayan.
PROBABLE MATCH-UPS
Singles 1: Lee Zii Jia vs Toby Penty
Doubles 1: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik vs Ben Lane-Sean Vendy
Singles 2: Liew Daren vs Johnnie Torjussen
Doubles 2: Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi vs Callum Hemming-Steven Stallwood
Singles 3: Leong Jun Hao vs Cholan Kayan