The 2018 runners-up Malaysia take centre stage in the Group B opener as they face a youthful Cambodian side looking to spring a surprise at their eighth AFF Suzuki Cup finals.

The Harimau Malaya won the tournament for the first and only time back in 2010 but reached the final in both 2014 and the previous edition and enter with high expectations once again.

Although their preparation was impacted by domestic duties for a bulk of the squad they’ve now arrived safely in Singapore where they’re once again under the guidance of coach Tan Cheng Hoe, who is the only local manager at the 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup.

“Of course I feel honoured to be a local coach leading his nation but every game and every tournament is important not just for me but for the nation.

“We know that maybe Vietnam or Thailand are the favourites in the tournament but we hope we can do something and surprise people.

“Of course we did well last time but with the COVID impact now things are very different, we’ve retained just eight of the same players and we know that we’ll face tough opposition but we also have a clear target and mission to get positive results.”

That target may be a little different for a Cambodian side that are in the midst of a rebuilding phase and who have opted to go with a youthful squad as they also cast an eye ahead to the 2023 SEA Games.

With a legend of Asian football in Keisuke Honda overseeing affairs as the team’s general manager, it’s another Japanese coach in Ryu Hirose who will be charged with commanding things from the touchline in Singapore as he looks to help usher in a new generation of Cambodian talent.

“We opted to go with a young squad here with the SEA Games also in mind so we’re hopeful that these players can show good performances too at the 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup.

“Malaysia have seen a big improvement in recent times and we know that they have a lot of strength and play at a high level but we’ve also prepared well and will use a new generation and new power to focus on trying to beat them.”