AFF Suzuki Cup defending Champion, Singapore could advance to the Semi-final if they beat the competition history’s second best, Thailand at the new National Stadium tomorrow.
This sentence was made with no intention of underestimating the rest of the Group B opponents, former Singapore’s Head Coach, Raddy-led Myanmar and archrival, Malaysia. Both teams are equally capable of creating an upset in Group B but having said that, the first match between Singapore and Thailand would be crucial. The match could possibly decide the final standing in the competitive Group B.
Football Association of Singapore has announced the squad to defend the South East Asia most sought after title on the eve of the crucial match against the Thai. With an average age of just 25, experienced players such as Baihakki Khaizan, Safuwan Baharudin, Haris Harun, Khairul Amri & Captain Shahril Ishak have to lift up their games especially against the speedy and strong Thai players.
A combination of 42 International goals from Khairul, Shahril & Fazrul (Nawaz) will lead the front line right from the first kick-off. New kids on the block, LionsXII’s Shafiq Ghani and Courts Young Lions’ Sahil Suhaimi are drafted in to share the goal scoring responsibility. In our very own opinion, the ammunition for goals is commendable this competition and the latter duo selection could pay off if they stay focus throughout the game, or the entire competition.
Defensively, it’s no secret that both LionsXII’s Bhaihakki & Safuwan are the key members to stop not just only Thailand, but also Myanmar, Malaysia and whichever team comes along after progressing from the Group stage. Our biggest prayer goes to the LionsXII’s defensive pair – stay injury free!
Thailand, popularly known as the War Elephants, boosts a squad assembled from the last December’s SEA Games Championship team and also the Asian Games’ 4th Placing team. Having won the AFF Suzuki Cup 3 times as a player, Thailand’s Head Coach, Kiatisuk ‘Zico’ Senamuang is ready to unleash his young contingent’s force on Singapore soil.
Accordingly to statistic gathered from the recent Asian Games, the attacking-minded Thai team has beaten some of the powerhouses like China, Jordan & Indonesia convincingly, scoring an impressive 15 goals in 5 matches. Should Singapore want to stop them, the important task could be killing off their supply from Midfield. And that means, a full pressing game from probably third half of the pitch could be an inevitable game plan from Singapore’s Head Coach, Bernd Stange.
Never forget, if War Elephants are left to roam freely, they will stomp the entire ground with impact felt miles away.
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