AFF Suzuki Cup kickstarted on 19 November in Philippines and all the eight teams in the tournament have completed their first round, where they have all played one match each.
Each team will be able to play a total of three matches in the group stages and the top two teams from each group - Group A and Group B - will qualify to the semi-finals of the tournament, which will be a two-legged affair.
IBTimes Singapore looks at the points table after the end of the first round matches to find out how the Lions can qualify to the knockout stages of the tournament.
All the teams will now play two more matches before the group stage ends on 26 November.
Here is a look at the Group A points table after the first round
Group A
| Teams | Mat | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Thailand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Philippines | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Singapore | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Indonesia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 0 |
In the case of tied points at the end of the group stages, goal difference comes into play. If the difference is also same, then the team which has scored the most number of goals will progress to the knockout stage.
Singapore
Yet to play: Thailand (22 November), Indonesia (25 November)
The Lions managed to hold group heavyweights Philippines to a 0-0 draw on Saturday. Despite losing a man early in the first half, V Sundramoorthy's side clinched a crucial point.
If Singapore win against Thailand tomorrow, they will be well placed to go through to the last-four stages.
They can still be knocked out if Philippines win the next game and either win or manage a draw against Thailand in their final group game. (Goal difference comes into play).
If they manage a draw against the War Elephants tomorrow, they will still need nothing less than a win to make it to the semi-final.
Also, if they lose tomorrow, the chances of making it to the semi-final will be slim but they need to win against Indonesia at any cost to stay in contention.
How we arrived at the above conclusion
Predicted points table after 22 November
Singapore v Thailand
| -- | Singapore win | Thailand win | Draw |
| Singapore | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Thailand | 1 | 6 | 4 |
Philippines v Indonesia
| -- | Philippines win | Indonesia win | Draw |
| Philippines | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Indonesia | 0 | 3 | 1 |
The following scenarios emerge, taking into consideration the result of Tuesday's games.
Predicted points table at the end of group stages (25 November)
Case 1: Singapore win, Philippines win
Singapore v Indonesia (Penultimate Group A Game)
| -- | Singapore win | Indonesia win | Draw |
| Singapore | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| Indonesia | 4 | 3 | 1 |
Philippines v Thailand (Final Group A Game)
| -- | Philippines win | Thailand win | Draw |
| Philippines | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| Thailand | 3 | 6 | 4 |
Case 2: Singapore win, Philippines lose
Singapore v Indonesia
| -- | Singapore win | Indonesia win | Draw |
| Singapore | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| Indonesia | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Philippines v Thailand
| -- | Philippines win | Thailand win | Draw |
| Philippines | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Thailand | 3 | 6 | 4 |
Case 3: Singapore lose, Philippines win
Singapore v Indonesia
| -- | Singapore win | Indonesia win | Draw |
| Singapore | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Indonesia | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Philippines v Thailand
| -- | Philippines win | Thailand win | Draw |
| Philippines | 7 | 9 | 5 |
| Thailand | 6 | 4 | 7 |
Case 4: Singapore lose, Philippines lose
Singapore v Indonesia
| -- | Singapore win | Indonesia win | Draw |
| Singapore | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Indonesia | 3 | 1 | 2 |
Philippines v Thailand
| -- | Philippines win | Thailand win | Draw |
| Philippines | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Thailand | 6 | 9 | 7 |
Case 5: Singapore-Thailand draw, Philippines win
Singapore v Indonesia
| -- | Singapore win | Indonesia win | Draw |
| Singapore | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Indonesia | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Philippines v Thailand
| -- | Philippines win | Thailand win | Draw |
| Philippines | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| Thailand | 4 | 7 | 5 |
Case 6: Singapore-Thailand draw, Philippines lose
Singapore v Indonesia
| -- | Singapore win | Indonesia win | Draw |
| Singapore | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Indonesia | 3 | 6 | 4 |
Philippines v Thailand
| -- | Philippines win | Thailand win | Draw |
| Philippines | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Thailand | 4 | 7 | 5 |
Case 7: Singapore win, Philippines-Indonesia draw
Singapore v Indonesia
| -- | Singapore win | Indonesia win | Draw |
| Singapore | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| Indonesia | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Philippines v Thailand
| -- | Philippines win | Thailand win | Draw |
| Philippines | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Thailand | 3 | 6 | 4 |
Case 8: Singapore lose, Philippines-Indonesia draw
Singapore v Indonesia
| -- | Singapore win | Indonesia win | Draw |
| Singapore | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Indonesia | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Philippines v Thailand
| -- | Philippines win | Thailand win | Draw |
| Philippines | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Thailand | 6 | 9 | 7 |
