So much at stake in this Causeway derby Pavkovic's team look for a good start against the defending champions

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JAKARTA - Malaysia coach Ong Kim Swee sat at the pre-match press conference yesterday afternoon at the Sultan Hotel in Jakarta alongside Singapore team manager Ashiq Idris.

Singapore coach Slobodan Pavkovic was absent.

The two arch-rivals clash today in their opening Group A fixture of the 26th SEA Games football tournament, and the pre-game build-up was not entirely smooth, with the two camps given different instructions.

The incident was attributed to the Games organisers, but the muddle could well stoke tensions between the old rivals, after questions were raised if Singapore would be fined or, at least, warned.

Singapore's players have their minds firmly fixed on the job at hand.

A good start is always crucial in any tournament, but in a group featuring Thailand, hosts Indonesia and a much-improved Cambodia, it will be vital the Republic do not lose against the defending champions, who are one of the favourites for the gold medal.

Said Singapore midfielder Shahdan Sulaiman: "There's always a rivalry, and it's the first game of the tournament, it's definitely important to get a good start. But it won't be a match that will define our campaign."

The football tournament became an under-23 competition at the 2001 SEA Games.

Singapore won bronze medals at the last two Games in 2007 and 2009, and Shahdan, 23, is desperate for the team to at least meet their target of a place in the final this year.

Lions defender Safuwan Baharudin believes the heat is on Malaysia.

"This isn't a do-or-die game for either of us but, even so, the pressure is on Malaysia. They are the defending champions, after all," he said.

The 20-year-old defender starred for the national team when Singapore overcame Malaysia 6-4 in the World Cup qualifying double-header in July, and he is hoping to carry on that rich vein of form.

"It'll be good to get three points, but even if it's a negative result, we still have three more games. It doesn't just hinge on this ... a win doesn't mean that we automatically qualify for the semi-finals.

"Personally, I just want to keep a good record against them," he said.

All week long, coach Slobodan Pavkovic has drummed the same message into his charges.

Over the last couple of days here, the players in the 20-man squad, from Shahdan to Safuwan and skipper Hariss, have repeated it over and over again.

For good measure, the Serb repeated the message yesterday, when he told Today: "The most important thing I want to see in my players at the game is fighting spirit and good teamwork."



The match will be shown live on MediaCorp Channel 5 from 4.55pm.