KUALA LUMPUR: KL City defender Declan Lambert is happy that his club will go into Saturday's AFC Cup final as underdogs and believes it could work to their advantage.
The City Boys will host Oman's Al Seeb in the AFC Cup final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Lambert said KL were underdogs in all their previous six matches but still managed to win them.
"We were underdogs from the group stages of the AFC Cup. And being underdogs in the final is nothing new to us.
"Middle East teams have a proud history in the competition with 16 victories out of 17 editions. Al Seed have skillful wingers, and it will be a tough battle for us.
"However, nothing is impossible in football. We showed everyone our quality by ousting favourites ATK Mohun Bagan of India (won 3-1) and Uzbekistan's Sogdiana Jizzakh (won 5-3 on penalties) in the earlier knockout matches.
"I think if we can stop Al Seeb from scoring, we will have a chance to win the title," said Lambert.
KL are bidding to become only the second non-Middle East team to win the AFC Cup after Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) in 2015.
Lambert, an Australian-Malaysian, featured in all of the six previous AFC Cup matches for KL. And his outstanding performances earned him a national call-up for the recent King's Cup in Chiang Mai. He earned his first cap as a substitute in the win over Thailand.
Meanwhile, midfielder Akram Mahinan is grateful that KL veteran Safee Sali, who was part of JDT's AFC Cup-winning squad in 2015, is around to guide his teammates.
"We are lucky to have seniors like him in the squad. Safee keeps advising and motivating us ahead of matches," said Akram.
"Our coach (Bojan Hodak) wants us to focus on every minute of the game. Of course, we are preparing for a penalty shootout," he added.
Hodak's compact game worked wonders in the earlier AFC Cup matches, with his team conceding only four goals in six games.
And fans can expect another tight and composed game in the final.