Goalkeeper Hassan Sunny believes Singapore's international friendly against Hong Kong on Tuesday night is the ideal preparation for next month's AFF Suzuki Cup opener against the Philippines.
The Lions were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw on Friday by Malaysia at the National Stadium. Singapore dominated the game, and peppered the Malaysian goal with shots, but failed to put one into the net.
Hassan, 32, is not worried by his strikers' failure to score, insisting they will come good when the Suzuki Cup kicks off on Nov. 19.
"We cannot be happy with the result, but to be honest, we created quite a number of chances to win the game," the Army United keeper told ESPN FC.
"But that's football. Sometimes things don't go your way no matter how hard you try. We attacked and played a good game, and I am very sure our attackers will come good in Manila."
On a positive note, Sundramoorthy's decision to opt for the veteran centre-back pairing of Baihakki Khaizan and Daniel Bennett worked well for Singapore. The duo repelled everything that the Malaysians threw at them, and Hassan is thrilled to have the experienced duo back together again.
"I'm grateful to coach Sundram for giving me a run of games in games, but it is up to me to maintain my level of performance to keep my starting spot," he said.
"But in this game, having Bai and Daniel at the heart of defence gave me a lot of confidence. They work well during training and games, and as a goalkeeper, their reading of the game makes my job easier."
As for Tuesday's game at Mong Kok Stadium, Hassan lauded Sundramoorthy's choice of opponents, declaring that Hong Kong are similar in style to the Azkals.
National team training. #firstneverfollows #adidassg #adidasthailand
A photo posted by Hassan Sunny (@hassansunny18) on
The Thailand-based custodian has urged his teammates to use the game as a benchmark for their AFF opener next month.
He said: "Hong Kong is an ideal team to go up against as we continue to prepare for the Suzuki Cup.
"They play a very similar style to Philippines, so it's good for us to play such teams, and know what to anticipate against similar opponents.
"We watched them [Hong Kong] play in the Myanmar tournament a few months ago. They're a strong physical team and they like possession football.
"So this will definitely give us an edge when we face the Philippines."
Singapore will round off their preparations for the Suzuki Cup with a trip to the Middle East early next month before kicking off their Group A opener against the Azkals in Group A a few days later.