Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) are going "full force" to Bangkok for the Asian Champions League (ACL), at least in numbers, 30 players all in.
In fact, JDT head coach Benjamin Mora admitted it is "too much", but necessary due to the circumstances. Normally, for club competitions, a team go with a 25-man squad.
"We brought 30 players... it's too much for a competition. But bear in mind, it's a packed schedule with too many games within a short time," said Mora yesterday.
Starting with a clash against Japan's Nagoya Grampus today, JDT will play six games in 16 days in Bangkok.
Mora admitted that their preparation for the ACL was affected due to 14 JDT players going away for a month to join the national team for the World Cup/Asian Cup qualifiers in Dubai.
However, Mora remains confident that the Southern Tigers are well prepared for the Asian campaign.
Mora said his team "need footballers", and they have taken players with quality, like Chia Ruo Han and Feroz Baharudin, from JDT II.
Stressing it is not about age or seniority, Mora said: "I don't believe in young or old, but I do believe in good or bad. If they are young and good, they have a spot in JDT, and of course, they gain their places.
"If they have a chance to play, I'm confident they will do a good job."
Nagoya Grampus are certainly not JDT's run-of-the-mill rivals. Known as the "Noble Barbarian", the Japanese club were once trained by the master Gunner, Arsene Wenger.
It's going to be an intriguing battle, and JDT are braced for a stormy time from the Nagoya side who are expected to come at the Malaysian team with incisive attacks as sharp as a samurai sword.
Mora admitted that Nagoya Grampus, coached by Italian Massimo Ficcadenti, are a force to be reckoned with, given their strong and solid style of play.
"The order and composure of the (Grampus) lines are neat and narrow. They are very intense in their approach," he said.
Mora pointed out that Grampus have good quality upfront with Gabriel Xavier, Yuki Soma, Mateus dos Santos, Ryogo Yamasaki and Yoichiro Kakitani a threat to JDT.
"We know their backline is composed, they have holding midfielders. We need to be patient."
However, JDT who are meeting Nagoya Grampus for the first time in the ACL, should not lack confidence against Japanese opposition. Two years ago, the Southern Tigers defeated Japan's Kashima Antlers 1-0 in an ACL match in Johor Baru.