SINGAPORE - Give us more time: That is the plea from Lions forward Faris Ramli and his teammates ahead of their final Asian Cup 2023 qualification match against Myanmar on Tuesday (June 13).

Singapore are already out of the running for the tournament, which will be held in June next year, after losses to group hosts Kyrgyzstan (2-1) last Wednesday and then Tajikistan (1-0) three days later. The Lions are third among Group F's four teams, ahead of Myanmar on goal difference. The six group winners and five best second-placed teams will advance to next year's Finals.

Head coach Takayuki Nishigaya has suffered three losses in as many matches since he was appointed in April. In his first game in charge, the Lions were defeated 2-0 by Kuwait in an international friendly.

Faris, 29, who has started both qualifiers in Bishkek as one of two forwards - alongside Ikhsan Fandi - said of his coach and team: "Give him more time, give us more time.

"He has a plan for the team, the country. We have adapted quickly to his demands. For those who watched the games, they would know that we have played well but it's just that we couldn't get the three points and so it's natural that fingers will be pointed.

"I can guarantee that we will be there (among South-east Asia's top teams) again one day if we continue this progress. We players believe in his plan, in his structure and we feel that this is the way to go. Our belief in his way is very strong. It is only a matter of time before we find the net and start racking up the points."

Under the Japanese, there is a greater emphasis on aggressive pressing higher up the pitch whilst being quicker in attacking transitions. Despite facing stronger sides from the Middle East (Kuwait) and Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) in his first three matches at the helm, Nishigaya's men have more than held their own and dominated large phases of play against those higher ranked teams.

In the qualifiers, the Lions created several chances but squandered them. Faris hopes he and the team can make it count against Myanmar, who sit six places above the 158th-ranked Lions.

Faris said: "As an attacker, to not be able to score is frustrating given the chances we have had. We need to be clinical. The performances have been better than the results suggest but we need to win our last game, not just for coach but for the fans and for ourselves. We don't want to go back empty-handed."

Despite the losing start to his stint as national coach, Nishigaya, 49, is not concerned, saying: "We are disappointed by the results but I am not worried about the confidence levels of the players. I have no doubts about the players' belief in me. Their performances against the higher ranked teams have been very, very good. They deserve to get a win in these qualifiers."

One player who will not be able to help deliver a first win for Nishigaya is experienced defender Safuwan Baharudin. The Football Association of Singapore announced on Monday that he has arrived back in Singapore to deal with an urgent family matter and will not be available for selection against Myanmar.

The 30-year-old who completed both of the first two qualifiers, has the complete backing of Nishigaya, who said: "Some things in life are more important than football and Safuwan has my full support regarding his decision to return home. I wish to make it clear that even as he was dealing with this matter, Safuwan has remained exemplary in his conduct and displayed complete professionalism during this international window."