Harimau Muda coach Razip Ismail is aware his side will have another tough task on their hands when they take on Albirex Niigata (S) in the Great Eastern Yeo's S.League on Thursday.
Following a five-game unbeaten run, the Malaysians were brought back down to earth on Monday after falling to a 2-0 defeat to Balestier Khalsa.
Things do not get any easier for them as they are next in action on Thursday when they travel to the Jurong East Stadium to take on second-placed Albirex Niigata (S), who are also looking to get back to winning ways.
With several of his players suffering from fatigue following their exertions in the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games with the Malaysia Under-23 team, Harimau Muda coach Razip Ismail admits they will have plenty to do to get the result against Albirex.
"Some of the players are really tired as they have played many matches in the past two months," he said. "It's another tough game for us and maybe we'll have to change things around.
"It was disappointing to lose against Balestier after having played so well in the past five matches.
"Now, we'll have to motivate ourselves again for what will be a tough match against Albirex."
Razip could be tempted to introduce the likes of Arif Anwar and Kenny Pallraj to his starting lineup, after both showed promise after coming off the bench in the defeat to the Tigers.
Meanwhile, Albirex coach Tatsuyuki Okuyama could also ring the changes as his team look to get their title challenge back on track.
Playmaker Fumiya Kogure and striker Shotaro Ihata both started on the bench in last week's 1-0 loss to Balestier, but have a real chance to feature against Harimau Muda.
"Our defeat in the last match was because of mistakes we made," said the Japanese. "It is normal for this to happen but the important thing is to learn from them.
"We don't want to worry about the league table for now. Our focus is on ourselves and trying to get the win against Harimau Muda."
Due to Warriors FC's stunning 2-0 defeat to Courts Young Lions, Albirex still remain a mere point behind the league leaders.
The White Swans also have an excellent record against Harimau Muda, having won the past six meetings between the two sides.
The only time the Young Tigers avoided defeat was the first meeting between the two sides back in March 2012, when they recorded a 0-0 draw in their debut season in the S.League under then-coach Ong Kim Swee.
Albirex Niigata (S) Probable Lineup: Yosuke Nozawa, Mikiya Yamada, Takahiro Saito, Kento Fujihara, Itsuki Yamada, Hikaru Mizuno, Shun Inaba, Fumiya Kogure, Atsushi Kawata, Rion Taki, Shotaro Ihata
Harimau Muda Probable Lineup: Ilham Amirullah, Ashmawi Yakin, Syawal Nordin, Annas Rahmat, Azrul Nizam Muhammad, Akhir Bahari, Adam Nor Azlin, Syahrul Azwari, Faizat Ghazli, Arif Anwar, Syafwan Syahlan