BHUBANESWAR: Spain are ranked one rung higher than Malaysia, and they stand on the Speedy Tigers' way leading to the World Cup quarter-finals.
The Spaniards have not been impressive in the ongoing World Cup, losing 2-0 to India and 4-0 to England. Spain only beat Wales 5-1 in their Group D campaign.
Malaysia will meet them in the crossover on Monday in Bhubaneswar, India, and coach Arul Selvaraj has his work cut out.
"The win against New Zealand (3-2) was just the right tonic that my players needed to move into the next stage of the World Cup.
"It has not only placed us in a position to qualify for the quarter-finals, but also a big boost to face Spain.
"On the other hand, Spain were beaten 4-0 by England and watching that match, I and my coaching staff have a rough idea on how to plan for the Spanish," said Arul.
Looking at international caps, Malaysia have more experienced players than Spain in this edition of the World Cup. The last meeting between the two nations was in a Test match in 2019, and Malaysia won 4-3.
The other boosts for Malaysia were Marhan Jalil and Norsyafiq Sumantri being awarded Man of the Match for their performances against New Zealand and Chile respectively.
"These awards mean a lot to the players, and for Marhan and Norsyafiq it will spur them to do much better against Spain.
"We need all these advantages, however small they are, to win this crucial crossover and qualify for the quarter-finals," said Arul.
Shahmie Irfan Suhaimi, 20, earned his first cap in the World Cup win against New Zealand, and Arul has his reasons for selecting the rookie over Tengku Nasrul Ikmal, who has 12 caps.
"Shahmie was one of the five players that I had called up to train with the senior side after many players returned injured from the Nations Cup in South Africa.
"In training and friendly matches, I noticed his brave attitude in tackling senior and experienced players. He was also among the players who did well at the Sultan of Johor Cup, and (Juniors) coach Amin Rahim had recommended him.
"I liked his approach towards training sessions and when Shahril (Saabah) was hit by hamstring injury, I picked Shahmie over the more experienced Tengku for the New Zealand match and he did not disappoint," said Arul.
The other motivating factor for Shahmie, who is eligible to represent Malaysia in the December Junior World Cup, is that he has been paired to share a room with skipper Marhan Jalil in Bhubaneswar, to keep him on his toes in his World Cup debut.