Singapore's footballers find themselves in a familiar position again.

The Asean Football Federation Championship defending champions kick off their campaign next Friday against Cambodia, with preparations less than ideal.

Can they deliver a third straight regional crown? My guess is yes, though with the domestic season ending just last week, coach Raddy Avramovic spent several minutes at a press conference yesterday whining about the lack of time for his squad to spend together.

They will play just two friendlies - against Vietnam tomorrow (Wednesday) and Malaysia on Saturday.

Contrast this with the other top sides in South-east Asia who will be hoping to wrest the Lions' crown - Malaysia, Vietnam and Myanmar have spent over two months together in centralised training.

They have clocked close to ten friendlies each in the past few months, and played in at least one warm-up tournament.

Singapore's Lions? They've been earning their keep for their respective S-League sides until last Monday, the last day of the 2008 season.

Though Avramovic has a point about the long domestic calendar, the run-up to the last edition of the AFF in December 2006 was similar.

Singapore had less than ideal preparation and everyone predicted they would reach no further than the semi-finals.

Yet, the Lions confounded belief, beating Thailand in the final.

Last year as well, Avramovic had less than two weeks to whip his South-east Asia Games squad into shape before the biennial tournament.

The footballers eventually did him proud, bringing home a bronze, the country's first medal since the Games' football competition switched to an Under-23 format in 2001.

Such results he has delivered, in such a short time, are testament to Avramovic's qualities of bringing the best out of the squad at his disposal.

He may be whining and complaining now, but no doubt about it, he and the Lions will deliver when the time comes.

As added motivcation, history beckons for Avramovic and his team - no side has won the AFF crown three times in a row.