Kuala lumpur: Singapore interim head coach Gavin Lee has advised his men to control their emotions when they face Malaysia in a Tier 1 international friendly at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here tomorrow. Gavin, who was appointed to the post in June following Tsutomu Ogura's decision to step down, is aware that managing their emotions will be crucial for both players and staff in what is always a high-stakes fixture due to the traditional rivalry between the two sides.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Gavin described making his coaching debut with Singapore as a 'big honour' and acknowledged the heavy responsibility that comes with it, especially since it's a match against long-time rivals Malaysia. He emphasized the importance of staying level-headed to provide valuable input to the team. 'In terms of the emotions, naturally, like Saf (team captain Safuwan Baharudin) mentioned earlier, when you play in the Causeway Derby, it's never easy. There's a lot of tension, a lot of emotions, but something that we reference a lot in the team is about managing our thoughts, managing our emotions.'

Gavin stressed the significance of maintaining focus to capitalize on the capabilities of their skilled players. He noted, 'When we get too emotional, we tend to forget about things that we need to do. We have very good players capable of performing at a very, very high level, but sometimes emotions get in the way. So, ultimately, it's how we're going to regulate that. As a coach, the same applies to me. I need to be able to put those emotions aside so that I can watch the game as level-headed as possible and provide whatever input I can to take them closer to success.'

Meanwhile, team captain Safuwan Baharudin expressed his views on Malaysia's evolving squad, noting the inclusion of more naturalised players alongside the core of local talent. He acknowledged Malaysia's consistent vision of raising the footballing standards in the region. 'I think what's different now is that there are more naturalised players. There is still the core base of local players, the ones that we've seen over the last few years. But I think the direction for them has always been the same - to try to be a better footballing country in Southeast Asia or Asia,' said Safuwan, who is on loan with Lion City Sailors.

In recent encounters, Malaysia has won once, drawn twice, and lost twice to Singapore, with their most recent clash ending in a goalless draw in the 2024 ASEAN Cup group stage. After facing Malaysia, Singapore will host India in their third Group C match of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers on October 9.