Venue: Chonburi Stadium (Chonburi)

Kick-off: Friday, 17:00 (UTC+7)

 

Venue: My Dinh Stadium (Hanoi)

Kick-off: Friday, 20:00 (UTC+7)

The headline clash sees Singapore traveling to Hanoi to face defending champions Vietnam with Gavin Lee’s side on six points, three ahead of Kim Sang-sik’s men who have played only one game thus far.

Vietnam’s impressive 7-0 start against Timor-Leste - with starlet Nguyen Dinh Bac shining with a hat-trick - would not have gone unnoticed by Lee but the Singaporean tactician is counting on the improvement shown by his team in the 2-0 success against Timor-Leste which had followed a last-gasp 2-1 win against Cambodia to continue.

“In terms of performance, it was a lot better than Cambodia. We accumulated some small wins on the pitch, which helped to build our momentum. And credit to the boys, they took their chances and scored two good goals,” said Lee.

“But with every performance we’ve played, we’re always looking to do better. We need to continue improving as we progress through this competition, and we’ll be approaching the next game against Vietnam with the same mindset.”

Indonesia, meanwhile, will fancy following up their 5-1 win against Cambodia on Monday with another victory when they take on Timor-Leste with attention very much on teenage striker Mitchell Baker, who grabbed a stunning hat-trick on his debut.

Venue: New Laos National Stadium (Vientiane)

Kick-off: Saturday, 17:00 (UTC+7)

Venue: Rajamangala Stadium (Bangkok)

Kick-off: Saturday, 20:00 (UTC+7)

A similar storyline is developing in Group B where Malaysia - on two wins - travel to Bangkok to take on Thailand who started their campaign with a 5-0 victory against Laos.

Thailand head coach Anthony Hudson played down experienced midfielder Sarach Yooyen’s injury and insisted that his team will take nothing for granted despite playing at Rajamangala Stadium.

"We must try to restore the physical condition of the players for the next game,” said Hudson.

“Right now, we have to focus on one game at a time and always try to do our best. As for Sarach Yooyen's condition, we need to check again, but initially, it doesn't seem too serious. It seems to have been caused by a minor collision."

Tactician Tan Cheng Hoe realises that the opening two wins will count for little if Malaysia do not raise their game against Thailand.

“We know Thailand have a good squad and they will have home backing, so we have to be ready for a far tougher game than we have played thus far,” said Tan.

“The game (4-0 win against Laos) goes a long way in helping the players get in the rhythm of things and work together as a team. Teamwork will be crucial against Thailand.”

Laos and Philippines, meanwhile, have no choice but to go for victory to keep their knockout stage hopes alive when they meet in Vientiane, with both having lost their earlier matches.