SINGAPORE — On Wednesday, the Jalan Besar Stadium reverberated to the sound of Singapore fans singing in unison, their voices lifting the Lions to their semi-final win over the Philippines in the AFF Suzuki Cup.

For two days this week, the next generation of Lions hope to get similar support in the NexLions Cup when a Singapore Selection goes head on against their youth team counterparts from Liverpool, Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon.

“They are well-prepared, even though in the past four weeks we’ve not managed to get a complete team together due to National Service commitments for some of the boys,” said Singapore Selection coach Aide Iskandar.

“Opportunities to play against top teams like these are very rare but the boys have been prepared mentally, physically and tactically. The idea here is for the team to gain exposure against these top teams, so all they have to do is to put up a good performance and gain appreciation from the fans and compliments from their opponents.

“I’m really excited to see how these boys fare as this is the first time we’re integrating players from the National Football Academy’s under-17s and 18s, Young Lions, LionsXII and the Prime League.”

For Raihan Rahman, the Singapore Selection captain, putting up a good performance could lead to bigger things.

“Perhaps we can play well enough to get noticed by their coaches,” the 21-year-old Barcelona fan said.

“For me, this is part of the learning journey and I’m looking to gain confidence before the LionsXII’s 2013 Malaysian Super League campaign where I hope to make more appearances. As I told my teammates, every game is important.

“For these two games, we really need to push and give our best. Our opponents are from big European (clubs), so we will give them respect but not too much.”

Liverpool Academy Director Frank McParland said five of their youth team players who featured in the NexGen Series in Europe last season, including Adam Morgan, Jerome Sinclair and Samed Yesil, have already made their first team debuts, and youth tournaments like the NexLions Cup are vital stepping stones for them.

“It’s getting the boys used to the long travel, changing flights and a lot of down time on the aeroplane,” said the 53-year-old.

“It’s getting them used to being a professional and all these things we can do as young as possible which is a real help for them in the future.

“We would love to win the tournament but I would sooner the players progress. Playing in games like this is fantastic, with foreign referees, foreign teams with foreign styles … all that is about helping them develop.”