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il Maizar, coach of the national soccer team, is trying a new formulation of 3-5-2 for his squad ahead of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup matches later this month.

The former Semen Padang coach has always been famous for his 4-4-2 formation that relies heavily on the two wings to support offensive attempts into the opponent’s camp.

“We will still focus on using the 4-4-2 formation. But in anticipation of a lack of players, we’re also trying the 3-5-2 formation,” Nil said on Saturday as quoted by Antara news agency after presiding over an internal match among national squad players at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

“We have tried the two formations in a trial match,” said the coach, who studied his profession in Germany.

The biennial AFF Cup will run from Nov. 24 to Dec. 22, with Malaysia and Thailand as the co-hosts.

Nil said that anything could happen in a match, including a change in the formation, depending on whom the team was competing against and what formation their opponents were using.

The internal tryout match involved all 24 players who are practicing at the training camp, including three naturalized players. They were split into two teams — Team Red and Team White.

Nil repeatedly rotated his players’ positions in order to find the most ideal formula before they play in a real game, including tryout matches against Timor Leste on next Wednesday and Cameroon on Friday.

Indonesia will compete in Group B, along with 2010 AFF Cup winner Malaysia, Singapore and Laos, while Group A will see Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Myanmar in competition.

Indonesia has never won the AFF Cup since the tournament made its debut in 1996. Thailand and Singapore are the most successful teams in the Cup, with three titles each.

Indonesia’s best record was a runner up in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2010.