Shahrul Saad and Belgium-based Dion Cools have forged a perfect partnership in the heart of defence and are expected to lead Harimau Malaya's back line in the Asian Cup qualifiers.
The pair performed well in the recent 2-0 win over Hong Kong in a friendly.
The wins over Hong Kong and Brunei (4-0) will offer the team confidence when they host Turkmenistan on Wednesday, followed by Bahrain (June 11) and Bangladesh (June 14) in Group E of the qualifiers at National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Shahrul is high in confidence after helping his club Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) reach the last 16 of the Asian Champions League.
With Shahrul feeling confident together with Cools' Champions League experience and their dependable fullbacks in Matthew Davies and La'Vere Corbin-Ong, rivals will definitely have a tough time scoring goals against Malaysia in the qualifiers.
A solid defence will definitely add stability and confidence to Harimau Malaya in their goal of topping the group and qualifying for the Asian Cup on merit.
The 28-year-old said Harimau Malaya's defence is shaping up well ahead of the qualifiers.
"Overall, we did well defensively in recent friendly matches. What we practised in training had worked out well. As defenders, we have to be alert to avoid conceding goals," said Shahrul.
"We hope to maintain our form from these friendlies for the qualifiers. However, it will be different in the qualifiers as every team is aiming for an Asian Cup spot.
"Frankly, I am still unsatisfied with my performance. I feel I can improve even more. I will work on that in the next few days."
Shahrul, who is known as 'Badak', said everyone has been drilled to play effectively in all positions.
"In modern football, players have to defend and attack together.
"We have been drilled accordingly in training, and I hope we can be effective in the qualifiers," he added.