Singapore head coach V. Sundramoorthy is hoping that his experience of coaching in Malaysia will give him the advantage in Friday's Causeway Challenge at the Singapore National Stadium.
As well as coaching LionsXII for two years, Sundram was in charge of Malaysia Premier League side Negeri Sembilan in the 2014 season.
"We know the Malaysian players well because I was with LionsXII [as head coach] and working in Malaysia [with Negeri Sembilan] gives me the edge," Sundram told ESPN FC. "But, at the end of the day, it boils down to how my players perform."
During his playing days, Sundram wore the colours of three different Malaysian state teams, starting with Kedah, followed by stints at Kelantan and Pahang, in the 1980s and 90s. During a period in which the Singapore national team competed against Malaysian teams, he also represented the Lions in the 1992 and 1993 seasons.
He retired in 1999 after ending his career with S.League club, Jurong.
"It's always very special when you play Malaysia," he said. "When I was a player, I was always looking forward to playing against Malaysia, and always trying to beat them."
Sundram's impressive international career stretched a dozen years from 1983 to 1995. He says his fondest memory in cross-Causeway games came in one of his first international appearances, at the 1983 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
"As a player, when I started off, when I was about 18, I scored the winning goal against Malaysia at the [old] National Stadium," he recalled. "It was the opening game of the SEA Games tournament, so it still stays in my mind."
Turning 51 on Thursday, Sundram added that defeating Datuk Ong Kim Swee's Malaysians would be the ultimate, late birthday present.
"I hope that the team can give me a belated birthday present on Friday but more importantly, I hope that they will give it their best," he said.
