At stake is a place in the second round of the Asian Qualifiers and Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Guam, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste are all intent on sealing a place in the July 17 draw.

MALAYSIA 2-0 NEPAL

 Malaysia defeated Nepal 2-0 as the Southeast Asians enter the final phase of their preparations for the first round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar Qualifiers.

Malaysia, who will face regional rivals Timor-Leste in the first round of the Qualifiers, turned on the power in the second half with Safawi Rashid and Shahrul Saad finding the back of the net at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Guam are about to get a short sharp taste of that next week when they open their 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar Qualifiers, as Round 1 action kicks off on Thursday. The remote northern Pacific island nation was drawn against Bhutan in April, and it soon became apparent that the football contest is just one part of the challenge.

Guam will leave the cloying humidity of their tropical homeland behind and head for the kingdom perched high up in the Himalayas. There they will find a unique almost magical place, with its distinctive Changlimithang stadium a fitting display of local traditional design.

Dutchman Servais said Mongolia are the favourites for the two-leg tie but believes Brunei Darussalam have a chance provided they stick to the game plan.

The first leg will be played in Ulaanbaatar on June 6 with the return match in Bandar Seri Begawan five days later.

“I think Mongolia are the favourites. Especially when we are playing away, we need to be very well-organised. I expect discipline from the players during the game so they should stay in their position and they should stay in the formation that we are going to play,” said Servais, the former Singapore U-19 head coach.

The 22-strong squad is dominated by national champions FC Dordoi, with 13 players provided by the Bishkek-based club, which is also coached by national team boss Alexander Krestinin.

The Akshumkar provided one of the feel-good stories of January’s Continental Finals, reaching the knockout stage on their tournament debut before losing to hosts United Arab Emirates in the Round of 16.

Speaking ahead of the team's departure for Buriram, he played down the occasion, saying: “I never think about the 100+ games or the number of goals I have scored.

"I feel proud though when people around me keep reminding me that every record is in your name, and here we are talking about a country’s history. For someone who never even dreamt of playing for his country, or even of making it professionally, it’s unbelievable.”

Yoshida was a former professional footballer for J.League club Kashiwa Reysol from 1993 to 1996, before moving to Kyoto Purple Sanga for two years. In 1999, he had a stint with Montedio Yamagata.

The 44-year-old coach is no stranger to Singapore, as he spent a short time playing for Jurong FC in 2002, before suffering an injury-ending career, thus shifting his focus to coaching.