So much expected of young Hariss, Already a Lion at 20, he says S'pore must handle pressure to win Saturday's derby

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SINGAPORE - He's only 20, but Hariss Harun has already become a household name in Singapore football. The midfield star has chalked up 17 caps since his debut in 2007 against North Korea at the old National Stadium, aged 16 years and 217 days.

That milestone saw him pip Fandi Ahmad as Singapore's youngest international, and he is now a mainstay in Radojko Avramovic's first XI. Much rests on his young shoulders, when the Lions walk out at Jalan Besar Stadium to face their arch-rivals Malaysia on Saturday in the first leg of their Asian Zone second round World Cup qualifier.

The build-up suggests it could be one of the most explosive games in recent history between the Causeway rivals and it will definitely be the biggest match so far for Hariss.

Speaking to Today after lunch at Amara Hotel - the Lions' base since last Saturday - he said: "Every time there's a big game it becomes my biggest game, but as of now this is my biggest game. If I say there's no pressure I will be lying. But all of us have got to handle the pressure, and I believe we are capable of doing that.

"Passion will run high on matchday, but I remember what Raddy told us: to control our emotions and focus on the job at hand - that's the most important thing."

So highly regarded is the youngster he was slated to captain Singapore if regular skipper Shahril Ishak was not cleared to play.

Great in the tackle, an astute reader of the game and blessed with the passing ability and calmness to keep the engine room ticking, Hariss appeared to have been given a new role in the Lions' final tune-up on Monday in the 3-2 win over Taiwan.

Normally a midfield sentry for the defence, he received instructions to join in the attack this time, and came off the field with mixed results.

Hariss provided the cross for 40-year-old warhorse Aleksandar Duric to open the scoring but he was involved in the mix-up in the engine room that led to the visitors' second equaliser.

He has taken it on the chin and is looking to do better against Malaysia.

"I was given more licence to roam and go forward against Taiwan but I faded after half-an-hour or so and that's something I have been working on," he said.

"It's something we cannot afford in the upcoming games.

"Obviously, I'd rather make mistakes in (friendly) games than in games that matter. Make mistakes now, learn from it, and make sure it doesn't happen again," he added.

It is apparent the occasion is not lost on the youngster, who has heard much about Singapore's fabled battles against Malaysia and the state teams in the days of the Malaysia Cup.

"I've been playing for the national team for four years and I can't remember any day where tickets have been sold out in six hours.

"You just have to say 'wow' and put it aside because the game is just so important. But what's even more important for us is a focused performance on game-day," he said.

Hariss says the whole Lions' camp is pumped up ahead of the Causeway derby.

He said: "This is one of the biggest games for Singapore, and we want to beat Malaysia as much as they want to beat us.

"You have to throw the form book out the window, form doesn't count for anything in a match like this. We respect Malaysia, but I'm sure we are better - it's about producing the goods on the field."