KUALA LUMPUR: National team defender Daniel Ting is feeling confident ahead of the squad's AFC Asian Cup opener against Jordan on Monday.
Daniel, 31, said the national team's ability to match higher ranked Syria in a closed door friendly on Sunday was a positive sign ahead of the tournament.
Malaysia, ranked No. 130, held Syria (No. 91) to a 2-2 draw after dominating the first half of the match.
"We have been training together since the 26th (Dec) so we have had a long time to prepare," said Daniel today.
"We also had a friendly with Syria which was good for our match fitness and also gave us a chance to test some tactics we have been working on.
"It was a game we potentially could have won. We showed that we could match them even though they are ranked much higher than us.
"It was great for us to get some (playing) minutes in the legs and gave us some confidence before we play Jordan."
Daniel, who now has four caps and one goal with the national team, said he has settled into the squad well and is pleased with the team's camaraderie.
"I am hoping to keep collecting caps, it was good to score my first international goal," added Daniel.
"I was lucky to have already known a lot of the players when I came into the team so it was not really like coming into a new team, the transition was easier.
"But I am not quite the baby in the team anymore with Romel (Morales) now in the squad."
Colombian-born Morales is Malaysia's newest naturalised player and has yet to win any caps. The forward is expected to add flair to the squad.
Malaysia has been drawn in Group E in the Asian Cup alongside Jordan, South Korea (No.23) and Bahrain (No. 86).
The squad will play Bahrain on Jan 20 and South Korea on Jan 25.