Philippines head into Tuesday's Group A clash against Indonesia in Hanoi knowing that victory would guarantee them a place in the semifinals for a third consecutive Suzuki Cup campaign.
The Azkals reached the last four in Southeast Asia's premier international tournament in 2010 and 2012. And having opened their campaign with a 4-1 triumph over Laos, they can advance to the knockout round with a game to spare if they can account for the Indonesians.
It will not be a straightforward task for Thomas Dooley's charges given that Garuda showed excellent resilience to come back twice from behind in last Saturday's 2-2 draw with Group A hosts Vietnam.
But Philippines' all-time top scorer Phil Younghusband -- who grabbed one goal and two assists against the Laotians -- is relishing the chance to prove that his side belong on the region's biggest stage.
"We know if we are going to be the best, we have to beat the best," the 27-year-old told the Suzuki Cup's official website.
"We have to start in Southeast Asia and Indonesia are one of the best teams in the region.
"If we are going to win the tournament, we will have to beat teams like Indonesia."
Meanwhile, Indonesia coach Alfred Riedl will have plenty to think about over his team selection after they were dominated by the Vietnamese and were fortunate to escape with a point.
The forward pairing of Sergio van Dijk and Boaz Solossa failed to give the Vietnam defence any problems. So the Austrian tactician must decide on whether to throw in 38-year-old Uruguayan-born striker Cristian Gonzales, who netted 15 times in the Indonesia Super League this season.
In Tuesday's other game, Vietnam will be confident of beating Laos -- if they can avoid a repeat of the profligacy that plagued them against the Indonesians.
One change that Vietnam boss Toshiya Miura could make is to start golden boy Le Cong Vinh. The experienced striker proved his worth by scoring a wonder goal off the bench in the last match after replacing the ineffective Nguyen Hai Anh.
Although Thim Xad themselves are already facing an uphill struggle to make the last four, coach David Booth is not ready to throw in the towel just yet.
"We played our first game and we realised our mistakes and problems we had," he said.
"We were still able to create chances in the first game, so we hope to put ourselves back in shape and see what happens (against Vietnam)."
In the final match day on Friday, Laos will play Indonesia while Vietnam host Philippines with two of the nations advancing to the semifinals on Dec. 6th and 7th.