They are up against a formidable opponent in their opening match of the inaugural NexLions Cup, but the Singapore Youth Selection Squad head coach, Aide Iskandar, is confident that his team will be ready for a powerful-looking Liverpool side when they clash on 14 December at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
After their good showing in the 2-2 draw over Fandi Ahmad’s Johor FA in their friendly match at the Larkin Stadium last Sunday night, Coach Aide announced his final squad of 25 players for the NexLions Cup tournament, which will feature a mix of players from Singapore’s Youth Olympic Games (YOG) squad, the National Football Academy (NFA) Under-18, the Lions XII, Courts Young Lions and S-League clubs.
The most notable names in the Singapore Selection side include YOG stars Jeffrey Lightfoot and Ammirul Emmran, as well as S-League players Delwinder Singh (Tanjong Pagar FC), Moh Shafiq Ghani (Courts Young Lions) and Mohd Raihan Rahman (Lions XII).
But the biggest name in the squad is probably Lions XII winger, Safirul Sulaiman. The speedy winger played a major role in the team that finished runners-up in the recently concluded Malaysian Super League.
The result against Fandi’s Johor FA comes on the back of narrow 1-0 defeats to Johor FC and Hougang United, as well as another encouraging 2-2 draw against Selangor FA over the past couple of weeks.
While their opening match opponents look to be formidable, with no less than four players having first team experience under Brendan Rogers, Coach Aide is unfazed by the challenge of going up against the heavily fancied Liverpool Under-19 side.
“I have seen the squad lis for Liverpool and I understand that they are bringing a strong squad for the NexLions Cup,” said Coach Aide.
“We will have a tough game on our hands against them, but I think that the team is well prepared and ready for the challenge. The boys are looking forward to play against a quality side in the form of Liverpool for the opening match of the tournament, and I am sure that they will give their all during the two matches.”
Added Football Association of Singapore (FAS) President, Zainudin Nordin; “It is great that Liverpool is bringing a strong squad with them for the NexLions Cup as it shows that they are taking this tournament seriously.”
“The Singapore Youth Selection Squad headed by Aide Iskandar is looking good and he has prepared the team well over the past one and half months. We have some very good players as well namely, Safirul Sulaiman, Raihan Rahman and Shahfiq Ghani. And I’m sure that this team will do their best in the inaugural NexLions Cup.”
“I look forward to seeing the fans turn up in droves to support the teams and I am sure they will be treated to some exhilarating football action over the two days.”
The NexLions Cup is a joint initiative between the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and Kirkwall who are exclusive partners of Manchester United Soccer Schools and Sporting Lisbon Academy in South East Asia.
Tickets starting at just $12 are available at Ticket booth outlets and online (www.ticketbooth.com.sg) from 1st November. Early bird discount are available from 1st Nov – 7th Dec. Concessions are also available for students and senior citizens.
Each ticket entitles the holder a chance to win club merchandises signed by the first teams of Liverpool, Manchester United, and Sporting Lisbon. All ticket holders are also automatically entered into a raffle to win Warrior and Puma products as well as Manchester United Soccer Schools packages during the matches.
Singapore Youth Selection Squad:
Goalkeeper – Rudy Khairullah (1) & Abdul Qadir (18), Defender – Al-Qaasimy Rahman (2), Emmeric Ong (3), Delwinder Singh (4), Nurullah Hussein (5), Shannon Stephen (6), Ali Hudzaifi (20), Shakir Hamzah (24), Jeffrey Lightfoot (26) & Faris Azienuddin (27), Midfielder – Safirul Sulaiman (7), M Anumanthan (8), Ammirul Emmran (25), Iqbal Hussain (23), Nazrul Nazari (11), Shamil Sharif (12), Aqhari Abdullah (13), Samuel Benjamin (14), Raihan Rahman (16) & Ignatius Ang (17), Forward – Amy Recha Pristifana (19), Syafiq Zainal (15), Shahfiq Ghani (9) & Sahil Suhaimi (10)
Singapore Selection Team Officials:
Aide Iskandar (Head Coach) & Aizat Ramli (Team Manager)
Photo: Football Association of Singapore
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