Midfielder Raihan Rahman is determined to keep the S.League trophy far away from Albirex Niigata's sights when his Hougang United team face them at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday.
Albirex, who are gunning for an unprecedented quadruple -- they won the League Cup and Charity Shield earlier this year -- and will be crowned league champions if they manage a win against Hougang. They then go up against Tampines Rovers in the Singapore Cup final on Oct. 29.
Their nearest rivals are Tampines in third place, some seven points behind, while Brunei DPMM are in second but have played two games more.
"It will be a very sore feeling to see them [Albirex] lift the S.League trophy against us," Raihan told ESPN FC.
"In this league, any team can win the title but we have our own ambitions and will not be there just to watch them nail three points and walk away as champions.
"They'll definitely come at us from the start but with the players we have, I can assure you we'll have a real go at it. If they are to do it [win the S.League title], they'll have to earn it the hard way on Friday."
With Hougang sitting in fourth spot, the Northern giants are on course to qualify for the AFC Cup, something the club have never achieved before.
Tampines are more or less assured of 2017 AFC Cup qualification, which leaves the next best placed local team to join them in the prestigious tournament.
"We may be sitting in fourth [as the second best local club] but with three games left, anything can happen, especially with our next game against Albirex. They will want it as much as we do," he added.
"Hougang have been a team with strong teamwork and togetherness all season, and the whole squad wants the chance to play on the regional stage.
"As for me personally, I didn't play much last year [with the LionsXII] so it has been a good season for me. To cap it off by reaching the AFC Cup will be one of the biggest milestones in my football career."
Raihan, 25, will probably continue his centre-back partnership with Nurhilmi Jasni. They will be protected by K. Anumanthan and Fumiya Kogure in midfield.
The former LionsXII midfielder knows the importance of keeping things tight against the White Swans, and has warned his teammates to pay close attention to the Albirex midfielders.
He said: "Everyone talks about [Atsushi] Kawata as the danger man but the real danger is their midfielders.
"They have a lot of quality in that department with the likes of [Tatsuro Inui] and even Naofumi [Tanaka]. Stop them [the midfielders] and you stop Albirex.
"Our midfielders must work extra hard to cover the spaces. Hopefully, we get the win we need and also give Tampines a chance to continue fighting for the league title."