Kuala Lumpur: Philippines coach Sven Goran Eriksson has challenged his side not to take winless Timor Leste lightly when the two sides meet on Wednesday in Group B of the AFF Suzuki Cup at Kuala Lumpur Stadium. 

The Philippines are hoping to make it two wins in a row following its narrow 1-0 victory over Singapore at Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City last Tuesday, while Timor Leste arrived here on the back of defeats to Indonesia (1-3) in Jakarta and Thailand (0-7) in Bangkok. 
The match is considered a home game for Timor Leste, which needs maximum points to keep its semifinal hopes alive in the competition. 
"They (Timor Leste) had a very, very difficult start to the tournament," Eriksson said. "But in their second game against Indonesia (a 1-3 loss), they did well and scored the first goal. So we have to pay attention. It's a very important game for us. We started well in the tournament, good result and three points. We have to play very well.”
And while Eriksson took delight over his team’s performance, the well-travelled coach thinks they can still play better as the tournament progresses. 
"I hope that we play a good game, of course. Play good football, defend well and win the game. I hope so, but you cannot take that for granted. If you don't perform, if you don't fight, if you have the wrong mentality going out there, you will not win.”
After a goalless first half, the Azkals found the breakthrough in the 77th minute thanks to Patrick Reichelt’s close-range strike that also ended a six-match winless run in the competition for the Philippines. 
"It's true that we played better in the second half. If that was due to the changes, I'm not sure about that. We became better into the game, we kept the team together more in the second half, we played the ball better to each other in the second half.”
Eriksson has ruled right-back Luke Woodland for the remainder of the tournament due to a foot injury, but Daisuke Sato, who came off the bench against Singapore, is fit to start. 
Meanwhile, Timor Leste’s Japanese coach Norio Tsukitate insists his team remains focused on staying alive in the competition even as he welcomes goalkeeper Aderito back in the squad after the custodian was suspended for the match against Indonesia. 
Tsukitate said they can build on their performance against Indonesia where Rufino Walter Gama handed the Timorese the lead in the 49th minute, before they conceded three goals to the home side in 30 minutes at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.  
"We have had two games against Thailand and Indonesia,” he said. "Our players are very young but have good experience already. We have two more games. But we’ll never give up for the knockout round. Nobody knows the result. We have to focus."