Date: Fri, 07 Oct 2011
One year ago, Singapore was held to a 1-1 draw by the Philippines national team at the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup.
Fast forward to 2011, Radojko Avramovic’s Lions have been revamped into a good mix of youthfulness and experienced heads.Youngsters like Izwan Mahbud and Safuwan Baharudin have been blooded into the starting eleven and both have repaid coach Raddy’s faith with some stellar performances against the likes of Malaysia, China and Iraq in recent months.
Having secured a second consecutive outing in the third round of the FIFA World Cup Asian Zone Qualifiers after beating Malaysia over two-legs with an aggregate score of 6-4, the Lions were drawn into Group A alongside Asian powerhouses like China, Jordan and Iraq.
The first two matches of the campaign were halted by a 2-1 loss in Kunming to China, followed by a 2-0 loss at Jalan Besar Stadium to Zico’s Iraq team.
With a crucial third group game against Jordan coming up on 11 October, the Lions will take to the pitch on their home turf today against a Philippines team consisting of many players who ply their trade in the European world of football.
Coach Avramovic has recalled Singapore Armed Forces FC defender, Noh Rahman back into his side and coupled with the suspension of midfield general Mustafic Fahrudin and the return of Hariss Harun, the Serb tactician will have his hands full, tinkering with his possible central midfield partnership that looks like a tussle between Isa Halim, Hariss, Noh Rahman and Shi Jia Yi.
Upfront, evergreen hitman Aleksandar Duric looks likely to continue as the main offensive threat with the support of captain Shahril Ishak and Fazrul Nawaz. Home United forward Qiu Li will sit out the Philippines game in hope of returning injury-free for the decisive Jordan match next Tuesday.
Over on the other side, Philippines head coach Hans Michael Weiss will have the luxury of all his European-based players like Fulham goalkeeper, Neil Etheridge and Paul Mulders in his team.The Younghusband brothers who rose to prominence in the 2010 Suzuki Cup tournament will once again be out to prove that they have what it takes to cut it on the international level.
Coach Avramovic who spoke to the media at training on Thursday said: “This game is a good preparation for the boys ahead of the Jordan match. There are a few possible options in midfield and I will see what the best solution is. It is an important time for the team and the players will have to step up and try to secure the results in the remaining few games.”
Also in the limelight is Assistant coach, V.Sundramoorthy who will take the hot seat on the bench next Tuesday, to be the vocal point in Avramovic’s absence through suspension.He is undaunted by the huge task and is confident of getting the message across.
“It is an honour for any Singaporean to be on the national team, be it as an official or a player. My job is to ensure that the players focus and keep the tactics that coach Raddy has been putting them through in training. They have been training hard ahead of the friendly against Philippines and this match will help prepare the boys for the crucial game against Jordan next Tuesday.” said Sundram.
The match will kick off at 7.30pm at the Jalan Besar Stadium in front of a full capacity crowd.
Referee is Shukri Suhaizi from Malaysia.
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