All calm before the storm The Lions know what awaits them tomorrow despite the relaxed atmosphere in KL

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KUALA LUMPUR - There was little hint of a fierce battle looming here yesterday, until someone helpfully offered a priceless nugget of information - that 85,000 tickets had been sold for the second leg of the second round World Cup qualifier between arch-rivals Malaysia and Singapore.

There were no banners flying with a montage of Malaysia's hotshot striker Safee Sali, no menacing tattoos of the Malaya Ultras anywhere marking out their space and suggesting the kind of welcome they would put on for the Lions and their pack of a few hundred fans when they walk into the 90,000-capacity Bukit Jalil Stadium tomorrow.

Malaysian football expects - the national team have said all week they are confident of overhauling Singapore's 5-3 lead from the first leg - more than 85,000 fans will turn up at the imposing Bukit Jalil arena tomorrow to will the Tigers on and try to turn the visitors into pussycats.

But it hadn't yet disturbed the usual laid-back atmosphere in the Malaysian capital. And Daniel Bennett wouldn't have it any other way.

The veteran Singapore defender is apparently always relaxed in Kuala Lumpur.

Speaking to Today just before the Lions' evening training session, the 33-year-old said: "I don't feel the stress when I'm here.

"Here, it's quiet where we train. You can't hear the cars or any construction. I just feel relaxed."

The team worked out at the Maybank Training Facility and Bennett was spot on because there was a near monastic calm about the place.

An hour before Radojko Avramovic led his men into the ground, there were only a handful of people about, the lush green of the two fields at the facility was soothing to the eyes, the water sprinklers seemed to hum an easy listening tune.

The atmosphere will be more like a speed metal concert tomorrow, though.

Even then, Bennett, the most capped player in the Singapore team with 98, seemed unfazed.

"We've played at the Senayan Stadium in Jakarta and the Rajamangala in Bangkok and the atmosphere was red-hot. But like them, Bukit Jalil also has a track, so the fans are not breathing down your necks, unlike Jalan Besar. It's different."

There was little banter among the squad of 23 as they laced up. Avramovic never was a coach who wanted to be friends with his players, everyone went about their business quietly, and professionally.

There was a throng of local media with TV crews and a few members of the press who had descended on the Maybank facility when the team arrived, and while Avramovic had declared yesterday's run-out a closed-door training session, he'd also allotted 15 minutes for his men to do interviews first, so he waited patiently out on the field.

Midfield muscle Mustafic Fahrudin was one of the last to get out onto the field.

"We are happy to have a two-goal advantage but it is half-time and there are just two days left now to the next match," he said.

"The next 48 hours are important because we have some players nursing injuries and they have a chance to recover.

"Thursday will not be easy. It will be a tough game, but if we show the same desire and attitude like we did last Saturday when we fought back from going down so early, I am confident we can look forward to the third round."

The Lions are up for the fight and the time for calm in Kuala Lumpur is over.