After this year's draw for The New Paper (TNP) League Cup was made, most teams would have probably thanked their lucky stars for avoiding Group B.
Indeed, with only one qualifying slot on offer, it looks like there will be a titanic battle between Tampines Rovers, Warriors FC and Balestier Khalsa to top the group.
Balestier and Warriors will first go head to head on Monday evening at the Toa Payoh Stadium.
Warriors and Tampines have long been regarded as local powerhouses and are no stranger to winning knockout competitions, with a total of seven Singapore Cups between them.
The two domestic heavyweights also share 14 S.League titles between them, with Warriors ending Tampines' streak of three consecutive triumphs last year.
But Balestier goalkeeper and captain Zaiful Nizam has quiet faith in his team's ability to surprise their group rivals. After all, the Tigers won the League Cup in 2013 and are the defending Singapore Cup champions.
The triumph two years ago in the competition was Balestier's first ever major trophy and it is something that holds special meaning to Zaiful, who hopes his team can bank on their recent Cup pedigree.
"Both our group opponents are the strongest sides in the S.League," said Zaiful. "Warriors are the league champions and Tampines have many quality players.
"But we have the chance to qualify. We have got a good recent record in Cup competitions. We have reached more than one Cup final in recent times and this could work in our favour. Everyone knows that Cup games are different.
"We will train hard and our coach Marko Kraljevic is preparing us well for the competition."
The 27-year-old custodian also took heart from the fact that his team lost to Warriors only by one goal in both league clashes earlier in the season.
"During the last two S.League games, we played well and managed to hold them though we didn't manage to score," he said. "This time we will attack more and hopefully we can get the goals and come away with the win."
Zaiful, a crucial figure in both of Balestier's recent Cup triumphs and who recently earned his first Singapore cap, hopes a good run in the competition will help the team do well in the league as well.
"We managed to finish in the top half of the league during both years that we won the Cup competitions," said Zaiful. "We are aiming higher this year -- perhaps we can achieve a top three finish in the league."
Balestier Khalsa Probable Lineup: Zaiful Nizam (C), Ahmad Syahir, Igor Cerina, Nurullah Hussein, Ho Wai Loon, Emir Lotinac, Poh Yi Feng, Zulkiffli Hassim, Tarik Cmajcanin, Robert Pericic, Miroslav Kristic
Warriors FC Probable Lineup: Daniel Ong, Emmeric Ong, Daniel Bennett (C), Marin Vidosevic, Irwan Shah, Thomas Beattie, Kevin McCann, Miroslav Pejic, Hafiz Rahim, Nicolas Velez, Fazrul Nawaz