Singapore will reap the benefits of their tough Japanese tour in Thursday night's international friendly against Cambodia, says central defender Madhu Mohana.
The Lions lost two out of three matches in Japan, including a shock 3-2 defeat to the Niigata University of Health and Welfare last Wednesday. But Mohana believes that the 25-man squad learnt a lot from their exertions under head coach V. Sundramoorthy.
"The three matches in Japan allowed us to use different tactics against different opponents," Warriors FC centre-back Mohana told Today.
"It's vital for us to fully understand these different tactics, not only as individuals but as a whole team. We look forward to implementing what we've learnt against Cambodia."
Cambodia are Singapore's potential opponents in November's AFF Suzuki Cup. They are favourites to book their place for the Southeast Asian tournament because they are hosts of the four-nation qualifiers in October against Brunei, Laos and Timor-Leste.
A capacity crowd of 40,000 is predicted at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh as the two nations meet for third time in a year after Singapore won both encounters in 2015.
Cambodia will be missing key players like Prak Mony Odom, Chan Vathanaka and Nub Tola through injury. But their Korean coach Lee Tae-hoon is hopeful of causing an upset against a nation who are 22 spots higher in the FIFA rankings.
"The concentration level in the team is not what I would have wished for. But we will try hard against a team that is definitely stronger than us," he told the Phnom Penh Post.
Lee is aiming to become the first foreigner to guide Cambodia to the Suzuki Cup. Their last appearance was in 2008 under former Angkor Warriors star Prak Sovannara.
"With the means and time available, I am doing my best to get the team balance right," Lee said.
"I have discussed with the federation the possibility of the national team going through a special training camp for a month or so as part of preparations before the qualifiers."
The draw for the 2016 Suzuki Cup will be made on Aug. 2. If Cambodia qualify, they will be placed in Pot 4 alongside Indonesia. Singapore are in Pot 3 with 2008 champions, Vietnam.