KUALA LUMPUR: Harimau Malaya refused to entertain the thought that the Lions hold the advantage in Tuesday's do-or-die AFF Cup battle.
Though Malaysia must win the Group B final match while Singapore need only a draw, Kim Pan Gon's men exude an air of confidence.
Their approach is that — Malaysia are going to win it, Singapore will be beaten at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Naturalised player Lee Tuck, Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi and V. Ruventhiran all expressed the belief that Malaysia will advance to the AFF Cup semi-finals.
English-born forward Tuck said though it is a crunch match, he and his team don't feel the tension.
"We don't really feel the pressure (though) it's there. Inside the camp, everyone is relaxed, dealing with the everyday process... it's just the same," said Tuck.
"We will go out and be confident in what we do. We're looking forward to the game and we believe we have what it takes to reach the semi-finals."
The 34-year-old forward said though Singapore put up a strong fight to hold Vietnam 0-0 on Friday, the Vietnamese side were a pale shadow of the one that beat Malaysia 3-0 in Hanoi.
"I don't think Vietnam played as well as they did against us... as there wasn't much drive. But credit to Singapore who defended well, worked hard as a team and got the job done," said Tuck.
"I think Singapore defenders got behind the ball in numbers. They are very compact. We need to find a way to break them down... it's not easy but I think we have the quality."
Midfielder Mukhairi thinks that goals from set pieces are something that coach Kim Pan Gon will focus on.
"We haven't scored from set pieces in this competition, so I hope when we play Singapore, we get to do, it's important to the team," said Mukhairi.
Winger Ruventhiran, who believes it will be a battle of wits between the Causeway rivals, said: "We need to keep our mental strength strong, we cannot think negatively.
"We have to be smarter. We need to win as a team, not as individuals.
"It's not about the pressure but what type of game Singapore will bring out. We'll need to study them, not just face them."
After three Group B games, Vietnam and Singapore lead the table with seven points each while Malaysia are third with six points.