SINGAPORE -- In its simplest essence, it is just another game of football.
But it never really is when it is a final.
And even more than being the simple prospect of winning notable silverware, Lion City Sailors are aware that Sunday's AFC Champions League Two decider against Emirati outfit Sharjah could be a pivotal moment not just for them, but all of Singaporean football.
The Sailors have already made history by becoming the first club from Singapore to reach a continental final.
Given Singapore are the 31st-ranked nation in Asia, it is a remarkable achievement that they have even got this far with continental powerhouses such as Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia all represented in the tournament.
For a country that has seen far better days on the footballing stage, a huge boost could certainly come in the form of the Sailors lifting a trophy of such magnitude.
"For the longest time, it [Singaporean football] has been up and down. More down than up, in fact," said Sailors captain Hariss Harun, who also skippers Singapore, in Saturday's pre-match news conference.
"This is huge. It's massive for us, as a club side, to show the way forward for Singapore football.
"It's definitely going to inspire not only those within our club but others around -- kids, all those that will be watching -- this is the way forward.
"Hopefully this is a launchpad for football here."
Although the Sailors have made history in getting this far, Hariss is no stranger to this stage having featured in Johor Darul Ta'zim's 2015 title triumph when the competition was previously known as the AFC Cup.
Acknowledging that finals are usually tight affairs similar to JDT's 1-0 win over Istiklol a decade ago, Hariss is confident his teammates will be suitably prepared for what feels like a date with destiny.
"I think we'll have to start well. Using [JDT's 2015 triumph] as a reference, that final was a close game. Things can be decided by small margins.
"We'll have to keep our heads in the game and hopefully it'll be us that win the game.
"I don't know if the coach remembers but it was during one of our meetings - for the game against [Sanfrecce] Hiroshima. He told us that we had to look to go all the way. That was in the quarterfinals and I think that psyched the team up.
"Now here we are. We got here. You could say it's destiny or there was luck [involved] but I think we also showed a lot of mental fortitude.
"Now we're at the last stage, we hope to have a good ending."
All campaign long, the Sailors have defied the odds despite being the underdogs on numerous occasions -- especially coming up against more-illustrious opposition such as Sanfrecce and Sydney FC.
On paper, Sunday's match will be similar given Sharjah's stature as one of the more-successful teams from a nation currently regarded as one of the continent's heavyweights.
Nonetheless, while he has previously relished his side's unfancied status, Sailors coach Aleksandar Ranković is looking at things a little differently now that it is down to the decider.
"I think it will be 50-50," said Ranković.
"I don't see us as underdogs. I don't see them as the favourites, just like I don't see us as the favourites. It's one match.
"Let's see who wants it more.
"The players won't be feeling pressure from me. Maybe just some pressure from playing at home but really there's no pressure at all.
"We've already made history several times this season. This is just another game where we want to prove ourselves. It just happens to be a final.
"We want to win but not to the point where we're feeling pressure. I hope the guys can enjoy the occasion."
On a personal note, Ranković also recognised the significance of the occasion given it was less than two years ago that he arrived in Singapore with several targets in mind.
One was recently achieved with the Sailors crowned Singapore Premier League champions last week after missing out on the past two seasons.
The other is on offer on Sunday, although he readily admits it might not have been a goal that we would have readily admitted to previously.
"I don't think anyone in Singapore dreamt of reaching an ACL final," he added.
"We had that dream with the team but it was something we just whispered about. We didn't really have enough courage to speak about it [openly] but we felt that we could go all the way after getting through the group phase.
"I felt that we can face almost anybody in this tournament.
"I came here with special goals that I wanted to achieve and the ACL final is definitely the greatest one.
"Last week, we took the [SPL] title that also hasn't been won in three years so that was also very special as a team, a club and for me.
"But playing this final is beyond all the dreams we had."