For the first time since 2007, when they were co-hosts, Indonesia are back in the AFC Asian Cup.
For a team that has been absent from the past three editions of the continent's premier international tournament -- most recently after being disqualified due to a FIFA suspension -- it may be easy to assume that expectations will be tempered heading into the competition.
Yet, it is always impossible to keep the lid on when it comes to the world's fourth-most populous country, where the majority of the over 279 million inhabitants gets near-delirious when it comes to football.
Indonesia's fans will of course be, first and foremost, delighted that their heroes are once again back competing among the continent's elite.
But such is the nature of their passion and belief that they will be not-so-quietly hoping Merah Putih are not just that to make up the numbers.
So, could Indonesia actually get out of the group stage and reach the knockout round?
If there is one man that could mastermind such a feat, it is their coach Shin Tae-Yong, who has received plenty of acclaim for the work he has done since taking the job at the end of 2019.
Up till now, Shin's claim to fame came at the 2018 FIFA World Cup when he led South Korea to a shock 2-0 victory over Germany -- a result which condemned the then-champions to an embarrassing group-stage elimination.
Given his credentials, it was quite a coup when Indonesia secured his services the following year and what followed Shin's appointment was the ushering on of a young and exciting generation of players.
After three group-stage exits in four AFF Championships -- Southeast Asia's biggest competition -- Indonesia have now achieved back-to-back last four appearances under Shin, including a runners-up finish in the COVID-delayed 2020 edition.
In that tournament, where Indonesia really caught the eye was the fact that their charge to the final was led by several promising talents who were all 21 years or younger, including Witan Sulaeman, Egy Maulana, Alfeandra Dewangga and Pratama Arhan.
It should come as no surprise that, two years on, most of that team -- now still in their early 20s -- continue to feature prominently.
Indonesia will be one of the more youthful teams at the Asian Cup, with Shin's 26-man squad having an average age of 24 and international appearance tally of 16 caps.
Nonetheless, in a tournament such as the Asian Cup where Indonesia will be coming up against some of Asia's most-seasoned outfits, older and wiser heads could also be crucial.
In that area, their cause has been helped by their recent efforts in naturalisation of foreign-born players with Indonesian heritage.
The most prominent addition has been centre-back Jordi Amat, who once featured regularly in the Premier League and LaLiga for Swansea and Espanyol respectively. While he has only appeared 13 times for Indonesia, his experience makes him an important calming influence in the heart of defence.
Likewise, Belgian-born Sandy Walsh may be a relatively newcomer on the international stage but is an experienced 28-year-old campaigner in the Belgian Pro League, while the Dutch-born duo of Ivar Jenner and Rafael Struick -- both 20 -- has only added to Indonesia's plethora of precocious talents.
For all the players they have brought in, however, their brightest gem could be one that they recently exported in Marselino Ferdinan.
From the time he made his professional debut as a 17-year-old, Marselino has been viewed as a generational prospect and earned a move to Europe last February when he joined Belgian club KMSK Deinze.
Given his tender years, the attack-minded Marselino could perhaps initially be used as an impact player off the bench, especially given Merah Putih are likely to adopt a conservative mindset considering they will arguably head into every game as underdogs.
Still, given they have little to lose -- despite the expectations of their fanatical supporters - perhaps unleashing the full complement of talent and seeing what they can achieve on the big stage could be the best approach for a young and exciting Indonesia outfit.