Regardless of how Malaysia are faring at any given moment, the fact that they are one of Southeast Asia's traditional powerhouses -- as well as former champions in 2010 -- means their fans will always expect a decent showing at the ASEAN Championship.
With teams from the region still some way off from realistically winning the AFC Asian Cup, let alone the FIFA World Cup, the biennial regional tournament remains a primary source for silverware and bragging rights.
And while it is always advisable to head into a tournament with cautious optimism, the expectations of the Harimau Malaya faithful might really need to be tempered this year.
Not unlike most of their counterparts, Malaysia have been deprived of the services of several of their biggest names due to ongoing club commitments throughout a period that is not an official FIFA international window.
This was previously not an issue given the domestic Malaysia Super League season used to follow a calendar year, but the ongoing transition to an August to May campaign means fixtures will continue to be played in December -- thus clashing with the ASEAN Championship.
It certainly is not helping the cause of caretaker coach Pau Martí, who has handed the reins back in July after the abrupt departure of Kim Pan-Gon and needs a creditable showing if he wants to get the job on a fulltime basis.
Martí would have already been aware of the situation. It was perhaps the key motivation behind his decision to blood a couple of fresh faces last month in Malaysia's final warm-up games against Laos and India.
Even then, the 26-man squad he named late last week looks extremely raw.
Seven players that are yet to make their international bow will be relied upon over the next month. 15 have less than five caps to their names.
Even to regular followers of Malaysian football, many of these will be virtual unknowns.
The most seasoned campaigner that Martí has at his disposal is Syafiq Ahmad on 40 caps, while Syamer Kutty Abba sits one game behind him on the appearance list.
Both have irrefutable experience and quality. The main issue is that neither has had much regular first-team football for a few seasons now, with both usually reserves at Johor Darul Ta'zim before embarking on much-needed loan spells at Kedah Darul Aman and Penang respectively this term.
At least Darren Lok and Dominic Tan have been featuring regularly for Sabah. The duo are the only others north of the 30-cap mark and should play pivotal roles alongside club teammates Stuart Wilkin and Daniel Ting.
The presence of naturalised imports such as Paulo Josué, Endrick and Ezequiel Agüero could also be crucial. Although the trio are relatively recent additions to the Malaysia ranks, they are well into the latter stages of their careers and will be important senior figures in the dressing room despite their international 'inexperience'.
But it cannot be ignored that there is no representative from the first team of JDT, whose staggering dominance has seen them win the last ten MSL titles.
Arif Aiman, the current crown jewel of Malaysian football, would have singlehandedly given them a chance of winning any game, while others such as Matthew Davies, La'Vere Corbin-Ong and Afiq Fazail would still have been steady contributors even if they -- like Syafiq and Syamer -- are no longer getting as much starting XI action as previously.
Instead, the Southern Tigers will be represented by Daryl Sham, who has played all of 90 minutes in the MSL, G. Pavithran, who only just made his senior club bow on Nov. 20, and Najmuddin Akmal, who is still waiting for his first-team debut but has caught the eye with the national Under-23 team.
All have potential but it remains to be see if they are ready for the high-pressure environment of senior-level tournament football.
It will also be intriguing to see who Martí plumps for in goal, given Rahadiazli Rahalim, Kalamullah Al-Hafiz and Haziq Nadzli all have one cap each to their names.
The fact that this is a very inexperienced Malaysia outfit makes it imperative that any lofty hopes are painted with a coat of reservation. It does not however mean that it is all doom and despair.
Their closest rivals will also be without several key names.
Most notably, defending champions Thailand are missing a host of stars that have been pivotal to their recent success in 2020 and 2022, while Singapore will have to do without their entire overseas-based contingent.
It was initially expected that the trio would be battling for the two semifinal berths in Group A, even though perhaps the door is now slightly ajar for Cambodia and Timor-Leste.
Malaysia should still aim to go far at the upcoming ASEAN Championship.
But, bereft of their regular stars, they should not be overly disappointed if this tournament proves to be one to forget.