Malaysia Under-23 coach Ong Kim Swee has called on his players to fight for their places as they gear up for the final friendly match before the AFC U23 Championships kick off in China next week.
The Young Tigers face Syria on Friday in their last warm-up game before they begin their AFC campaign against Iraq on Jan. 10.
But Ong insists that places in the starting lineup are still up for grabs, with the clash against Syria providing one final opportunity for players to prove themselves.
"I believe everyone in the team has a chance to be in the first team and all our training sessions will be tactical-based," Ong said, as reported in The Malay Mail.
"This is more important now as we are close to the competition. I want to see us control the game and not make mistakes. That will be a good start.
"We have to work within ourselves and play to our strengths. Winning the ball in the middle of the park will be crucial for us as the opponents are very strong. The team is doing well, none are hurt except Nik Akif [Syahiran Nik Mat] who is a bit sick."
The squad arrived in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on Monday, following a training camp in South Korea that featured three friendly matches.
And Ong believes the time in Korea has helped the players acclimatise to colder conditions, away from steamy Malaysia.
"Positives are that weather conditions [in Nanjing] are the same as South Korea so the boys are used to it by now," Ong said.
Malaysia's opener against Iraq is followed by testing matches with Jordan on Jan. 13 and Saudi Arabia on Jan. 16.
In the Young Tigers' first participation in the tournament, Ong is aware of the level of challenge his side faces against some Asian heavyweights.
But he believes they have nothing to lose from what will be an invaluable experience.
"It's good to qualify for the first time and for us in some ways it is a matter of gaining exposure and experience," Ong told the AFC.com.
"Whatever we do in China, we can look at the weaknesses in our game and we can learn from them.
"Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq have all done well in this competition before so we know it's going to be a challenge. The most important thing is to focus on our strengths and expose ourselves to playing against good opponents in match conditions.
"Of course, results are always important in football and although I can talk about exposure and performances, it is important to win. We have a mission to qualify for the next round but we also have to be realistic."
Malaysia U23 squad
Goalkeepers: Haziq Nadzli, Ifwat Akmal Chek Kassim, Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed
Defenders: Matthew Davies, Dominic Tan, Adam Nor Azlin, A. Shivan Pillay, Adib Zainudin, Irfan Zakaria, Syazwan Zaipol Bahari
Midfielders: Syamer Kutty Abba, Nor Azam Abdul Azih, Syazwan Andik Ishak, Danial Amier Norhisham, Nik Akif Syahiran Nik Mat, Tommy Mawat Bada, Syahmi Safari
Forwards: Safawi Rasid, R. Kogileswaran, Hadi Fayyadh Abdul Razak, Akhyar Rashid, N. Thanabalan, Jafri Firdaus Chew