The Under-23 competition will see Singapore up against Laos, defending champions Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and the Philippines in Group A in Nay Pyi Taw, while Group B will feature hosts Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia and Timor Leste competing in Yangon.
With coach Aide Iskandar's squad featuring the likes of Hariss Harun and Safuwan himself — key members of 2013 MSL champions LionsXII — there is growing belief the current side could finally land Singapore's firs SEA Games football gold medal.
"There is pressure for us because people are eyeing the gold for us but we have been drawn into the toughest group," said the 22-year-old on the sidelines of the 100PLUS SEA Games send-off for Team Singapore at Novena Square yesterday.
The Republic exited the SEA Games competition at the group stage in Indonesia in 2011, and Safuwan is determined to make up for the disappointment of two years ago.
"We had a disappointing outcome at the 2011 SEA Games after finishing third back to back in 2007 and 2009," said Safuwan. "We have six teams in our group this time instead of four, so it will be even tougher because we cannot afford to lose any games. Malaysia is definitely the toughest, but we cannot underestimate others like Vietnam, Laos and Brunei.
"Our coach isn't Sundram (V Sundramoorthy) this time, so we have to adapt to (new coach) Aide (Iskandar). Some players will be playing their last SEA Games this time, and we definitely want to do our best."
Nineteen athletes from the Singapore Sports School were present at the 100PLUS Team Singapore send-off event — 100PLUS is the official isotonic drink of the Myanmar SEA Games — yesterday, and the SEA Games-bound athletes received a commemorative scroll of well-wishes inked by fans and supporters.
Sprinter Shanti Pereira is pencilled in for the 100m, 200m and 4x400m relay, and the 17-year-old is aiming to better her national 100m record time of 11.89 secs at the IAAF World Youth Championships in July.
Shanti and her women's 4x400m relay team-mates Dipna Lim-Prasad, T Piriyah, Wendy Enn, Tyra Summer Ree and Goh Chui Ling will also be gunning for the Republic's first women's relay medal since the 1997 Jakarta SEA Games, where the 4x100m team won a bronze.
They are ranked third in South-east Asia with their U-23 record time of 3min 47.82s behind Vietnam (3:44.49)and Thailand (3:47.54).
Said Lim-Prasad, Singapore's flag-bearer at the SEA Games: "It's really flattering that everyone ... has so much confidence in us and we want to make them proud. We will try and focus on getting a new PB (personal best), bettering our Under-23 record and just take it from there."
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