Coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee admits Malaysia's disrupted build up to next week's 2018 AFC U23 qualifiers in Bangkok is "not what we wanted", with the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games now only a month away.
Ong was caught in the middle of a club versus country tug-of-war as he struggled to get enough players for centralised training at Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) headquarters. At one stage, only two of the 26-man squad were present, from the initial six who showed up on the first day of training.
Fortunately, the full complement had arrived by Wednesday evening ahead of Thursday's friendly against Myanmar at Shah Alam Stadium, but Ong didn't hide his frustrations.
"This preparation is obviously not what we wanted," Ong said. "But most of these boys were part of the squad that went to the China tour, so they understand what is required of them.
"I only have this game before we start our AFC campaign, and I hope we can deliver our best before we leave [to Bangkok]."
The former national coach will be hoping for a strong performance in the qualifiers before August's SEA Games, with Malaysia expected to win the men's football gold medal on home soil.
Ong failed to get the cooperation of the nation's clubs, who were reluctant to release their best players due to intense scheduling of the Malaysia Super League (MSL) and Malaysia Cup in July and August.
Even now, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Pahang and Penang have refused to allow their key personnel to join the U23 camp.
Despite all the hurdles, 46-year-old Ong is demanding a victory when they play Indonesia in the AFC qualifiers' opener on July 19.
"My only hope is that none of these players are injured or lacking in match fitness. Whatever the situation, most important is the result against Indonesia," Ong said.
Myanmar coach Gerd Zeise admitted knowing about Malaysia's lack of manpower crisis, but still put the hosts as favourites to win the friendly.
"I have heard that Malaysia are having problems getting enough players, but your league is stronger than us. We expect a good fight from you team in any case," Zeise said.
The Malaysian squad will fly to Thailand on July 17. Last month, they had a successful three-match tour of China, winning one, drawing one and losing one.
After playing Indonesia on July 19, they face hosts Thailand (July 21) before finishing their Group H campaign against Mongolia two days later.