Former Rams striker a traget for Dolphins

Former Woodlands Wellington striker Mojtaba Tehranizadeh is reportedly a target for the Dolphins for the departed Abdoulaye Diallo.

However he is unlikely to make much of an impact even if this move plan out considering his performances last season at Woodlands Wellington.

But not that the Hougang club have much option especially if the other rumor that they are aiming for Peres is not a joke for it is unlikely they can afford the Brazilian.

Fadzu set for Dolphins return

Former Lions Fadzuhasny Juraimi is set for a return to Sengkang Punggol.

He is expected to put pen to paper once he pass his Beep Test which coach Aide Iskandar is confident he will achieve within this week.

Aide claim Fadzuhasny had already 'pass' his test once; achieving a 12-11 thus allowing the forward to qualify under a special concession rule, which allows each club to sign one player above the age of 30 who meet a minimum score of Level 12-10 and not the regular passing requirement of Level 13-1.

However, it seem the testers thought that he didn’t step on the boundary line when he hit 12-10, so his score was only recorded as 12-9.

If Fadzu cannot do it this week then club will have no striker until the end of the season as Iranian forward Mojtaba Tehranizadeh is reportedly a long way from making the passing mark in the Beep Test thus the club will not be signing him.

The Hougang club have signed Ratna Suffian on a part-time basis and a goalkeeper Al-Aminnur from the NFL to replace the injured Amos Boon.

Singapore Asian Games Team to play two games against Myanmar in Yangon

The Singapore Asian Games team will be leaving on Wednesday 30 June for Yangon to play two friendly games against the Myanmar Senior Team on 2 and 4 July.

From 22 players named in the squad, 18 are from the Young Lions team who are currently fifth in the Great Eastern - YEO’S S.League and have been unbeaten for the past eight matches.

Defenders Hidhir Hasbiallah from Gombak United and Sengkang Punggol’s Shahir Hamzah have been included to bolster the team’s defence, with Woodlands Wellington’s forward, Rizawan Abdullah, making up the remaining players from the other S.League clubs.

Of the 22 named, three players namely, Zulfahmi Arifin, Hidhir and Rizawan have been called up to the Under -23 team for the first time.

The tour will provide the Asian Games team with valuable international experience, having played their last game against SEA Games Gold medallist, Malaysia in a 1-0 win back in April.

National Coach Radojko Avramovic believes that the experience will give the players excellent exposure.

“At this age, players need to play more international games to help them grow. We believe that Myanmar will provide our young players with a good test. This is a good learning experience and they will have adjust and adapt to international opponents.

“Looking forward, we need to expose these players for more such games, in order to prepare them for future international tournaments like the Olympic Games qualifiers and SEA Games.”

The Asian Games team leaves for Yangon on 30 June and are due back on 5 July.

Name	Club	Position	DOB
Jasper Chan	Young Lions	GK	7-Nov-1988
Izwan Mahbud	Young Lions	GK	14-Jul-1990
Hidhir Hasbiallah	Gombak United	DF	25-Mar-1989
Shahir Hamzah	Sengkang Punggol	DF	17-Mar-1992
Eddie Affendy Chang	Young Lions	DF	10-May-1990
Madhu Mohana	Young Lions	DF	6-Mar-1991
Afiq Yunos	Young Lions	DF	10-Dec-1990
Safuwan Baharudin	Young Lions	DF	22-Sep-1991
Shahfiq Ghani	NFA U18	MF	17-Mar-1992
Faritz Abdul Hameed	Young Lions	MF	16-Jan-1990
Hafiz Abu Sujad	Young Lions	MF	1-Nov-1990
Izzdin Shafiq	Young Lions	MF	14-Dec-1990
Nazrul Ahmad Nazari	Young Lions	MF	11-Feb-1991
Zulfahmi Arifin	Young Lions	MF	5-Oct-1991
Gabriel Quak	Young Lions	MF	22-Dec-1990
Rizawan Abdullah	Woodlands Wellington	FW	4-Aug-1987
Eugene Luo	Young Lions	FW	20-Jan-1991
Fadhil Noh	Young Lions	FW	4-Mar-1989
Shakir Hamzah	NFA U18	DF	20 Oct 1992
Fazli Ayob	Young Lions	FW	24-Jan-1990
Khairul Nizam	Young Lions	FW	25-Jun-1991
Khalili D'cruz	Young Lions	FW	14-Aug-1991

Matthias Verschave is staying

Good news have emerged for Etoile FC with the French club announcing skipper Matthias Verschave is staying at the club until the end of the season.

While it is great news for Etoile FC, it is bad news for the chasing pack of Tampines Rovers and Home United as the French player could be the difference between a league title or nothing at the end of the season.

Verschave is not just the skipper of the team but an integral makeup of it with his influence in midfield and contribution to Etoile attack.

He has fired in 5 goals in the league and in the League Cup successful run, the skipper was the spark in the quarter-final when he fired in the first goal to stage a two-goal comeback to beat Geylang United 3-2 at Bedok and in the Final, he scored two of the three goal to kill off Woodlands Wellington 3-1.

That why Tampines Rovers and Home United will not be part of the cheerleading group welcoming Verschave return

Bulls signed a Prime League foreigner

Gombak United have strengthen their attack by signing Eddoh Pascal, a Nigerian forward, for their Prime League.

It is a further sign the club have clearly decided Korean forward Chang Jo Yoon is not the man to lead the club attack.

After all, the Korean have not started regularly in the Bulls attack since the return of Agu Casmir to full fitness and now with the entry of Eddoh Pascal, he is expected to be pushed further down the pack and as a foreigner, he cannot expect to be employed next season under such a situation.

S-league Preview

Last week Preview- Got 1 right and 5 wrong

Home United vs Tampines Rovers
The Protectors first real test after 3 win on the trot. That run will end as the Stags are a different kettle from the strugglers that the Protectors have met recently. I do not believe the Protectors can match up to a championship winning team this season under Assistant Lee. 3-1 to the Stags

Sengkang Punggol vs Young Lions
It is Sengkang Punggol so that enough reason to back the Young Lions even if they are playing away from the Cubs Den. The Dolphins is unlikely to score and if they do not score they cannot hope to get anything from a football match. 2-0 to the Cubs

SAFFC vs Etoile FC
The Warriors defence has been a disappointment this campaign. One looked at it and it tell us the story. Razaleigh Khalik and Syaiful Iskandar are a disappointment. Hafiz Osman is plagued by inconsistent performances. Ivan Lovric is decent but exposed by a lacked of pace. Daniel Bennett (have shown he still got it but) is alone. Shaiful Esah is out injured. Shahril Jantan has make many saves but this season, he has make a number of high profile mistakes at curial moments like the Singapore Cup defeat when he let a ball slip out to hand the Thai side a 4-3 lead with 10 minutes to go. So the question is what defence when compared with Etoile FC. (Next week is attack) 1-0 to Etoile FC

Balestier Khalsa vs Home United
This is a match that is more to Home United strength. They can defeat the Tigers but this season the Tigers have shown more bite to add to their determination. I am not sure the Tigers will go down in this match so a repeat of the Clementi result is a possibility. 2-2 draw

Gombak United vs Woodlands Wellington
There is 2 reasons to back the Bulls this week and it is Abdelhadi Laakkad and Kazuki Yoshino. The Moroccan forward is still out while the Japanese defender is suspended. This is a big blow to any team especially one as weak as the Rams. One cannot see how they can cope with the loss of these 2 key players and they can only hope the Bulls loser mentality triumphed. 2-0 to the Bulls

Albirex Niigata (S) vs Beijing Gouan (S)
It has a draw written all over it. The White Swans and Beijing are neither in a rut nor a flash of form. They are equally matched and neither of the side have that extra-special player to tear them apart. 1-1 draw

Geylang United vs Tampines Rovers
Revenge for the Stags in the Eastern Derby. The Eagles are now on a downward slide down the table and the high of third place is a memory. The Bedok side will be lucky to be in the top half of the table after this week. The Stags is chasing the championship and they will not be in a generous mood. 3-0 to the Stags

Polar signs for five more years

Polar, the official drinking water of the S.League, announced a five-year extension to its existing partnership with S.League, taking the long standing relationship to 13 years.

As part of the announcement, 10 S.League players along with Polar Water Managing Director, Mr. Chew Thye Chuan, were present at the Amara Hotel swimming pool for a photoshoot, to commemorate the sponsorship renewal.

Speaking at the renewal, Mr. Chew said, “We have enjoyed a fruitful partnership with the S.League. Over the years, people have come to associate the Polar brand with Singapore Football. With the recent launch of the Strategic Plan, we are impressed and encouraged with the direction of the S.League over the next five years.”

In a lighthearted affair, 10 S.League players, including Home United defender Ismail Yunos, Geylang United’s Yasir Hanapi, and Albirex Niigata (Singapore) captain Mitsuki Ichihara, joined together in an hour-long photoshoot event to commemorate Polar’s sponsorship.

“Polar’s renewal shows that sponsors have faith it the S.League. It speaks volume for the growth of the S.League when a sponsor stays on for 13 years. We (the players) are very honoured to be here in support of the Polar brand,” said Home defender Ismail.

The new five-year sponsorship will see a 35% increase from the current deal, with a value of $400,000 worth of bottled water distributed in the S.League annually.

Burnely friendly games in Singapore

Burnley Football Club is set to play three matches in Singapore with one of the game - against the Cubs - to be known as the Freight Investor Solutions (FIS) Asian Cup.

Home United and Gombak United are the other two sides chosen as Burnely opponents as warm up for the FIS Asian Cup.

Schedule
Tue 20 Jul - Home United (S League) 7:30 p.m.
Thu 22 Jul - Gombak United (S League) 7:30 p.m.
Sat 24 Jul - Singapore U23 Asian Games Team - 7:30 p.m. (FIS Asian Cup)

Etoile change of skipper

More evidence that Etoile FC skipper Matthias Verschave have left the team have emerged after the Bulls clash with Julien Deletraz named as captain while the club continued to maintain he is 'ill'

Verschave is not just the skipper of the team but an integral makeup of it with his influence in midfield and contribution to Etoile attack.

He has fired in 5 goals in the league and in the League Cup successful run, the skipper was the spark in the quarter-final when he fired in the first goal to stage a two-goal comeback to beat Geylang United 3-2 at Bedok and in the Final, he scored two of the three goal to kill off Woodlands Wellington 3-1.

Etoile deny coach is leaving but team is up for sale

After rumors of coach Patrick Vallee departure spread, Etoile FC chairman Johan Gouttefangeas, in an interview with TODAY, deny their coach is leaving.

Instead the Frenchman claim his fellow countryman is the only person in the team not for sale while stating everybody else is.

He was quoted: “It is okay if the players are sourcing for other clubs — we did agree that if they got better deals elsewhere, they can leave.

But there must be something in it for the club, of course,” said Gouttefangeas.

“Everyone is for sale, and everyone has a price. There is no problem.”

Khaled Kharroubi and Leeroy Anton have already left the club while skipper Matthias Verschave, one of the player believed to be leaving, and Brice Morandini are reportedly missing from training with Gouttefangeas claiming they are 'ill'.

Home replace injuried An

Home United have released news they have replaced new signing Ah Hyo Yeon who only started a game for the Protectors.

An got injured in his debut game last week against Woodlands Wellington after a tackle out on the right with him suffering a back injury as a result of that.

He has since been unable to recover from that and the club have now announced he is out for another month thus his coach Paul Lee decided they are replacing him.

The Bishan side have signed Korean attacking midfielder Jun Wookeun as his replacement.

The Korean have played 143 games in the K-league for Busan I'Park and Gwangju Sangmu before joining Dalian Shide in the CSL last season.

Etoile coach linked with ISL sides

Etoile FC coach Patrick Vallee is linked with jobs at Persija Jakarta and Persijap Jepara from the Indonesian Super Liga.

Both are reportedly looking for a new coach as they seek to rebuild for the new season ahead; especially Persija Jakarta who have spend a lot last season to win the championship but could only finish fifth.

Persijap Jepara finish ninth in the league and such results resulted in both coaches losing their job for Indonesian clubs need results to fill the terrace to capacity and bring in the cash thus avoiding meltdown - as seem regularly by a number of clubs.

It seem they were impressed how Patrick Vallee managed to turn a debutant club in their maiden season into championship contenders.

Sengkang to release another foreigner?

Ongoing rumors is spreading that bottom-dwellers Sengkang Punggol is set to release another foreigner who has been a disappointment.

This time, it is believed to be Guinean midfielder Abdoulaye Diallo.

It should be no surprise as his performance is decent but as a foreigner it is way below expectations and it justified PSSI decision to put Abdoulaye Diallo on a list of players that is 'undesirable' for their ISL two years ago.

He is just not good enough and if the Hougang side take this action, it may not be for the worse like Murphy release.

Zheng: We can cope

A new chapter in Beijing Guoan’s Singapore journey have commence as Tan Tiancheng, Ma Chongchong, Yu Yang, Lei Tenglong and Zou Yucheng have all flown back to China.

They are not likely to feature in the S.League again.

Yu has been recalled by the first team due to an injury crisis afflicting the Chinese Super League title holders’ backline, while the other four have been called up for a training camp by China Under-19s coach Su Maozhen.

If there are concerns over their personnel now, they are not shared by Zheng Xiaotian.

“I still have enough players to go around, so that is not a problem,” assured the Beijing coach.

“Of course, we will have to make a few adjustments in terms of our positioning, and there is that process of getting used to it. So there will be difficulties, but that is not an important issue."

But the one tricky issue Zheng may face is filling the void left behind by Tan, who leads the club scoring charts with six goals in the league.

The 19-year-old had made his mark since debuting for the Talents in mid-March, keeping up his glowing reputation as one of China’s brightest young prospects.

Zheng revealed that he has yet to decide on how to reshape his attacking line following Tan’s return to China, but noted that he was willing to look beyond having a one-for-one change.

“I’m still thinking about it, but the replacement may play in a different style,” he said.

“There’s no point in being obsessed about looking for a player who plays very similarly to how Tan Tiancheng plays. Tan Tiancheng is Tan Tiancheng, it’s not meaningful for me to stick to a style that’s only made for him.

“Tan Tiancheng is actually good at playing the counterattacking style, but he is not so suited to an orthodox attacking approach. Whoever I choose to play up front now could be better at another style; it all depends on what kind of players we have.”

Whatever changes are made to the Beijing lineup, though, they will in all probability remain a tough and competitive outfit.

Young Lions held at Cubs Den by White Swans

The Young Lions were held by Albirex Niigata (S) 1-1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

This result proved useless to both side as the Young Lions cannot return to the top 3 while Albirex Niigata (S) are still struck in the bottom 3 spot.

Hariss Harun has struck for the Young Lions while Takaya Sugasawa struck for Albirex Niigata (S).

In a match on the previous night, Leaders Etoile FC continued their remarkable run of games without conceding a goal to 11 but this time, the French side cannot find a goal like their counterpart in the World Cup.

It ended 0-0 and saw the French opened a 3-point gap at the top but the Stags have a game in hand and must be confident they can draw level with Etoile FC.

Young Lions
Izwan Mahbud (GK), Safuwan Baharudin, Shakir Hamzah, Faritz Abdul Hameed, Fazli Ayob, (Izzdin Shafiq) Luka Savic, Hariss Harun (C), Nazrul Ahmad Nazari, Seo Su Jong, (Afiq Yunos) Fairoz Hasan, (Shahfiq Ghani) Khairul Nizam
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Gombak United
Zaiful Nizam (GK), Bah Mamadou (C), (Shafuan Sutohmoh) Obadin Aikhena, Jeremy Chiang, (Fazli Jaffar) Hamqaamal Shah, Goran Subara, Ruhaizad Ismail, Fabian Tan, Fazrul Nawaz, Agu Casmir, (Ridhwan Jamaludin) Park Kang Jin

Dolphins resume losing

Sengkang Punggol went back to their losing ways as Geylang United walk away from Hougang with all 3 points.

The Eagles, who are currently going through a rug, was delighted to see the Dolphins back at their worst and was rudderless in the match.

Itmi Dickson and Kim Jae Hong got the goals

In another match, the Champions defeated Beijing Gouan (S) 2-1 to return to third spot for the next 48 hours, at least.

Ahmad Latiff and Ivan Jerkovic got the goals but it was once again a terrible display until the Champions got the opener on the hour mark.

They were outplayed by the Chinese youth side but somehow, yet again, the Champions survived and once they got the goals, they went onto win it in a run that have seem them win 4 of their last 6 games.

Teng Bin reply for the Chinese late in the game but it was not enough.

Sengkang Punggol
Fadhil Salim (GK), Kenji Arai, Shahir Hamzah, Nor Azli Yusoff (C), Azfar Zainal Abidin, (Zul Nor Farahin) Jalal, Jordan Webb, Duncan Elias, Sobrie Mazelan, Mamadou Diallo, (Farizal Basri) An Jae Cheul

Geylang United
Yazid Yasin (GK), Kim Jae Hong, Jonathan Xu, (Hassan Aziz) Rastislav Belicak (C), Adrian Dhanaraj, Shah Hirul, Vasile Ghindaru, Syed Fadhil,
(Yasir Hanap) Syed Thaha, (Fabian Kwok) Itimi Dickson, Peter Tomko

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SAFFC
(Shahril Jantan) Hyrulnizam Juma'at (GK), (Ruzaini Zainal) Syaiful Iskandar, Ivan Lovric, Hafiz Osman, Ahmad Latiff, Noh Rahman, John Wilkinson (C), Ivan Jerkovic, (Park Tae Won) Rhysh Roshan Rai, Mustaqim Manzur, Taisuke Akiyoshi

Tampines crushed Woodlands

Tampines Rovers crushed Woodlands Wellington 5-0 to close the gap at the top to two points.

Aleksandar Duric open the scoring and to take his tally to 296 domestic goals and is within touching distance of 300 with less than half the season to go.
Qiu Li bag a brace with Benoit Croissant getting in the act while a returning Khairul Amri got his share as well.

Over the Weekend, Home United destroyed Geylang United 3-0 with a Shahril Ishak hat-trick.

It was the Singapore international first ever hat-trick in over 200 games he has participated in.
Tampines Rovers
(Alimin Mohamed) Hassan Sunny (GK), Benoit Croissant, Zulkarnaen Zainal (C), (Satria Mad) Akihiro Nakamura, Imran Sahib, Park Yo Seb, Aliff Shafaein, Shukor Zailan, Ismadi Mukhtar, Aleksandar Duric, (Khairul Amri) Jamil Ali

Woodlands WellingtonFajar Sarib (GK), Winston Yap, Anaz Hadee, Kazuki Yoshino, Sahairi Ramri, Luis Eduardo Hicks, (Asraf Rashid) Azlan Alipah, (Shahri Musa) Nigel Vanu, Noor Ali (C), Sazali Salleh, (Rizawan Abdullah) Guntur Djafri

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Geylang UnitedYazid Yasin (GK), Salim Rahim, Walid Lounis, Jonathan Xu, (Shah Hirul) Rastislav Belicak (C), Adrian Dhanaraj, Vasile Ghindaru, Kim Jae Hong, Syed Fadhil,
(Yasir Hanap) Itimi Dickson, (Masrezwan Masturi) Peter Tomko

Home United
Lionel Lewis (GK), (Naufal Omar Ashiblie ) Ismail Yunos, Valery Hiek, (Firdaus Kasman) Zulfadli Zainal Abidin, Rosman Sulaiman,Chun Jae Woon, Shahril Ishak(C), (Shi Jia Yi) Firdaus Idros, Isa Halim, Shahdan Sulaiman, Choi Chul Woo

S-league Preview

Last week Preview- Got 2 right and 3 wrong with 1 result not out yet.

Tampines Rovers vs Woodlands Wellington
There can only be 1 outcome and that is the Stags will walk away with all 3 points especially if the Rams continued to lack the sting - Abdelhadi Laakkad - who is still recovering from his injury. Without any sting to trouble the Stags to sit back, the title contenders can go all out and that is a worry for a Rams defence that is not known to be water-tight. 3-0 to Stags

Sengkang Punggol vs Geylang United
The Dolphins are playing a string of games at Hougang recently but what use is there if they do not collect anything from it. This game could be a chance to collect their first point there in a while as the Eagles are going through a tough time. Their limited attacks and renown defensive qualities are not drawing the same payback as before. But one cannot see Eagles losing as well as the Dolphins are not known to be an offensive animal group. 0-0 draw

Beijing Gouan (S) vs SAFFC
The Chinese side are set to lose their key players soon but until then, they could be fired up as it is likely to be their last competitive games for a while. For the Warriors, they should equally be fired as a revamp look unavoidable and few can matched the contracts the Warriors offer. But do they have the bodies anymore? The most important part - the engine room - need more than new blood. Latiff is suffering from the abuses of his youth. Park is showing his age. Noh Rahman is a hardworking but limited footballer. Mustaqim is still inconsistent at 28. Wilkinson is alone. Jury is still out on Rhysh and Jerkovic. (Next week looked at Warriors defence) 2-1 to Beijing

Etoile FC vs Gombak United
It is time for Darren Stewart to admit his team is suffering more than rest or fixture problem as the fixtures is equally tough on everybody who have to play many games in a few weeks to a long rest between games. It is their head as mentality the Bulls are losers. Jose Mourinho use it to insult Roma but they could not proved him wrong by defeating him in the League race or even in the Italian Cup Final. There is no way the losers can trouble a mentality strong Etoile. 1-0 to Etoile FC

Young Lions vs Albirex Niigata (S)
At the Cubs Den, there can be only a happy outcome for the Young Lions. They are collecting the points at home and one cannot see why they cannot get it against the White Swans who are still to get their season off the road. 2-1 to Young Lions

Woodlands Wellington vs Balestier Khalsa
Usually I would favour the Tigers but now they are going through a bad patch as their squad is showcasing their weakness. A lacked of cover for their first team and the key players. Teams now know who the Tigers key players are and once they marked them out, the rest of the Tigers have to pick up the pace. They have no choice but to learn to do it if they want to build on this season. 2-2 draw

Aide: Arai-val gives Dolphins confidence

In an interview with the S-league website, Dolphins coach Aide Iskandar explained how he came to sign one of the S.League’s best-known foreigners - Kenji Arai.

“We reflected back on the team’s performances throughout the six months, and I thought we conceded a lot of unexpected goals or silly goals.

“So that was one department we needed to strengthen. I looked around to source for any local defenders, but to be honest there aren’t many, so that’s why I took the decision to look for a foreign defender.

“Kenji Arai has always been one of the top defenders in the league, and it just so happened that his season in India ended on 29 May. So to get him was a last-minute thing.

“I’m very delighted that he’s here, and likewise he feels the same. I believe he will help the young boys here like Shahir (Hamzah) and (R.) Siva to be better players alongside him.”

The Japanese centreback’s experience in the game will be vital to the club, whose most seasoned defender prior to his arrival was 27-year-old captain Nor Azli Yusoff.

And it is a change in the team policy according to Aide as he go on to explain to the website.

“Every coach would like to build from the back, and to make sure we have a stable backline before working all the way up to the front,” he noted.

“I guess we did it the other way around at the beginning of the season, when we brought in Moussa Keita, Ryan Fante, that kind of stuff. Now we want to stop conceding unnecessary goals, so we’re going back to tightening the defence up.

“Slowly, when things are tightened at the back and the team is growing in confidence, we’ll work more on our attack. And it’s not that we don’t need strikers; we’ve got Diallo, we’ve got Jordan, and they have scored eight goals among themselves.

“At the moment, they’re trying, but one silly goal does demoralise us and their confidence gets hit. I hope that will change with Kenji here at the back.”

Hariss Harun Shanghai trial off?

It is possible Young Lions Hariss Harun is not going to Shanghai Shenhua for trial as the Cubs game on June 17 saw the skipper playing in the game.

He had been expected to depart on June 14 to go to Shanghai Shenhua for trial until June 27.

It is disappointing news if that is indeed the case as no matter the problems plaguing the game in the Chinese Super league, it is still a major step up on the regional leagues like the Indonesian Super Liga where 5 locals have headed.

Kenji Arai signs for Dolphins

Former Warriors and White Swans defender Kenji Arai have sign for Sengkang Punggol until the end of the season.

He is expected to strengthen a Dolphins side that have been unable to keep out soft goals at crucial times in the game.

The Japanese defender have played 194 times in the domestic game for the Warriors and White Swans.

Departing is Canadian forward Ryan Fante who has been a major disappointment or not as he did came with little expectation.

And in a way, Kenji Arai may even 'improve' the attack as the Japanese has only failed to score once in 6 seasons in the S-league and it is no worse than Ryan Fante who have only 1 goal.

Fante arrived due to major recommendation from his countryman Jordan Webb but he has never shown anybody why the Dolphins will ever want to sign him again for another 6 months.

Beijing set to lose 6 players

With the opening of the S-league transfer window, it is not just Etoile FC who have worries with Beijing Gouan (S) also set to suffer

6 players are set to make premature exits from Beijing Guoan Talent, including club leading scorer Tan Tiancheng.

The striker heads a list of five Beijing players called up by China Under-19 coach Su Maozhen for a training camp in Shandong, in preparation for the AFC Under-19 Championship to be held in October.

Also leaving Singapore on Wednesday are centrebacks Yu Yang and Lei Tenglong, leftback Ma Chongchong and midfielder Zou Yucheng.

In addition, playmarker Zhang Xizhe will not be returning to his squad.

Zhang has been away from the club since the start of April, when he was selected to represent China in a global talent search competition held in Spain that also features 49 other up-and-coming starlets from all across the world.

The winner of the competition will earn the privilege of an attachment with a top Spanish club, identified by Chinese media as Atletico Madrid, throughout the length of the club’s pre-season training for the coming Primera Liga season.

Zhang’s progress in the competition remains unknown, but even if the 19-year-old drops out, he will be heading to Shandong to report to Su as an integral member of China’s Under-19 squad, known to the country as ‘Guoqing’.

Dolphins and White Swans draw to end their losing streak

Sengkang Punggol and Albirex Niigata (S) play to a 1-1 draw to end their losing streak.

The White Swans had lost their last 6 while the Dolphins were just a little better losing their last 5 so I guess this was an acceptable result to both teams.

However, the White Swans will be the more disappointed team as they played better but showed why they are a bottom 3 side as they lacked the finishing touch and their defence lack focus at times.

Unless they solved those problem they cannot hope to climb up the table as their goal came courtesy of a penalty from Tatsuro Inui while they could have defend better against Mamadou Diallo goal.

In the previous night, Champions SAFFC once again fell at the Cubs Den with the Young Lions defeating them 1-0.

The Cubs are now undefeated in 8 matches in all competition since the start of May and at the Cubs Den, they have been undefeated since April 22 when now bottom-dweller Sengkang Punggol won there.

Defender Afiq Yunos score the winning goal to give the Cubs the game and third spot in the league.

Sengkang Punggol
Fadhil Salim (GK), Kenji Arai, Shahir Hamzah, Nor Azli Yusoff (C), (Ashley Ow) Faizal Amir, Jalal, (Zul Nor Farahin) Farizal Basri, Duncan Elias, Mamadou Diallo, (Azfar Zainal Abidin) Sobrie Mazelan, An Jae Cheul

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Young Lions
Izwan Mahbud (GK), Afiq Yunos, Madhu Mohana, Faritz Abdul Hameed, (Izzdin Shafiq) Fazli Ayob, Luka Savic, Hariss Harun (C), (Hafiz Abu Sujad) Nazrul Ahmad Nazari, Seo Su Jong, (Shakir Hamzah) Fairoz Hasan, Khairul Nizam

SAFFC
Shahril Jantan (C) (GK), Razaleigh Khalik, Ivan Lovric, Hafiz Osman, Ahmad Latiff, Noh Rahman, John Wilkinson, Ivan Jerkovic, (Mustaqim Manzur) Federico Martinez, (Ruzaini Zainal) Indra Sahdan, Taisuke Akiyoshi

Etoile set 10-game shutout record

Etoile FC have open up a 5-point gap at the top of the table even as they have played a game more than main challengers Tampines Rovers.

It was achieved after they destroyed Balestier Khalsa 3-0 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

This result, apart from opening up the gap at the top, meant Etoile FC have gone 10 games without conceding a goal in the League.

It is impressive because it has now reached double figure; for the previous one could only managed 4 shutout thus this one could be standing alone for a very, very ..... long time.

The game on the other hand was over in half an hour as Frederic Mendy continued his hot form to get a brace while rumored-to-be-departing skipper Matthias Verschave got the other one.

The night before, Gombak United continued their erratic season by going down to Beijing Gouan (S) 0-1 at the Jurong West Stadium

The Chinese winner came from Wang Hao.

Balestier Khalsa
Ahmadulhaq Che Omar (GK), Daniel Hammond (C), K Sathiaraj, Ishak Zainol, (K Vikraman) Poh Yi Feng, Han Yiguang, (Syafiq Zainal) Anantha Rajan, Syaqir Sulaiman, (Kamal Nasir) Nurhilmi Jasni, Vitor Borges, Rivaldo Costa

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Gombak United Zaiful Nizam (GK), Jaslee Hatta (C), Bah Mamadou, Jeremy Chiang, (Fazli Jaffar) Hamqaamal Shah, Obadin Aikhena, Goran Subara, (Zulkiffli Hassim) Ruhaizad Ismail, Fazrul Nawaz, Agu Casmir, (Ridhwan Jamaludin) Park Kang Jin

Home snatch late winner

Home United won a late winner against Sengkang Punggol at the Hougang Stadium.

Referee Sukhbir Singh awarded a injury-time penalty after a foul on Choi Chul Woo and newly-recruited Chun Jae Woon then went on to dispatch it.

With the 0-1 result, the Dolphins remain bottom and have not won a point in the league since May 8 against Beijing Gouan (S) at Yishun Stadium.

The night before Geylang United and Woodlands Wellington played to a 0-0 draw at Woodlands Stadium.

Sengkang Punggol
Fadhil Salim (GK), Kenji Arai, Shahir Hamzah, Nor Azli Yusoff (C), Faizal Amir, Jalal, (R Sivaneswaran) Farizal Basri, Duncan Elias, Abdoulaye Diallo, (Jasper Seet) Sobrie Mazelan, (Mamadou Diallo) An Jae Cheul

Home United
Lionel Lewis (GK), Juma’at Jantan, Valery Hiek, Zulfadli Zainal Abidin, Shi Jia Yi, Chun Jae Woon, Shahril Ishak(C), (Firdaus Idros) Isa Halim, (Sherif El-Masri) Firdaus Kasman, (Sufian Anuar) Shahdan Sulaiman, Choi Chul Woo

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Woodlands Wellington
Fajar Sarib (GK), Anaz Hadee, Kazuki Yoshino, Sahairi Ramri, Luis Eduardo Hicks, Syed Karim, Azlan Alipah, Nigel Vanu, Noor Ali (C), Sazali Salleh, (Rizawan Abdullah) Guntur Djafril

Geylang United
Yazid Yasin (GK), Kim Jae Hong, Walid Lounis, Jonathan Xu, Rastislav Belicak (C), Adrian Dhanaraj, (Shah Hirul) Vasile Ghindaru, Syed Fadhil,
(Yasir Hanap) Syed Thaha, (Hafiz Rahim) Itimi Dickson, Masrezwan Masturi

Another Warriors home game moved

They may be S-league champions eight times but their stadium is not matching up to their high standard.

For the second time this month, the Warriors had their home match moved as Choa Chu Kang is still deem to be unfit to host a S-league game.

The Cubs were to have play at Choa Chua Kang but now the Cubs will host this match.

It seem Choa Chu Kang is in cold storage as YOG draw closer with the stadium chosen to be used.

After all, the pitch is a joke and if it was shown around the world, one must wonder why Singapore cannot maintain a pitch for an event like YOG.

The Warriors will not play at Choa Chu Kang until September 2 when they play Sengkang Punggol; whose game was 1 of the 2 games moved.

S-league Preview

Last week Preview - Got 3 right and 5 wrong with 1 result not out yet.

Sengkang Punggol vs Home United
The Home United website wrote this - After a comfotable 2-0 win over Woodlands Wellington FC, our Protectors next takes on bottom table Sengkang Punggol FC in a match where the three points seems certain. What else then. 2-0 to Home even under Assistant Lee

Gombak United vs Beijing Gouan (S)
At full strength, the Bulls can win this one after a break of 5 days. The Chinese side may loved a physical battle but the Bulls will be too physical even for them. 3-0 to the Bulls

Balestier Khalsa vs Etoile FC
The French side are doing well but transfer stories may affect them as news spread that skipper Matthias Verschave and midfield maestro Khaled Kharroubi are seeking a move back to Europe. They may have been waiting to move after the clash of the titans - against Tampines Rovers - and they have done their job brilliantly for Etoile are top. Now the French have to find replacements. 1-1 draw

Young Lions vs SAFFC
The Warriors must hate their home pitch now as they are forced to change their venue again. It is played at the Cubs Den and it tell us a lot about the task ahead for the Warriors. They are playing badly and getting the points at the moment but there come a point when they have to play well and this is that moment. They cannot expect to come to the Cubs Den playing the way they are now and get anything. 3-2 to the Cubs

Albirex Niigata (S) vs Sengkang Punggol
I wrote before the White Swans are cannon-fodders for many teams but they are lucky they are not meeting them this week. The Dolphins are in worse shape as they are cannon-fodders for everybody as challengers for the Wooden Spoons are getting their points from the Hougang club. Will it any different considering the White Swans have defeated the Dolphins twice already. 1-0 to the White Swans

Geylang United vs Home United
The Eagles must stop their slide down the table and the Protectors must be thanking their lucky stars they are meeting the Bedok club now. If it was even 2 weeks ago, the Eagles will be favourite but now they will be hoping for a point (or any point). I still do not believe in Assistant Lee but if he do not mess up the Hougang game then he cannot mess up the Bedok game. 2-0 to Home

Etoile to lose key men

TODAY paper have reported Leaders Etoile FC are set to lose their key men with skipper Matthias Verschave and midfield maestro Khaled Kharroubi seeking a move back to Europe.

It seem a deal was struck between the players and the club before the start of the S-league season that they can leave the club if they get better offers or if the offers are from Europe.

That why club chairman Johan Gouttefangeas is not seeking to change their minds as he say he has to respect those deals.

But he was quick to note he will bring in 'better' players and the team will 'improve' as a result.

The new signings will be revealed by next week according to Gouttefangeas.

Albirex to bring in reinforcement

White Swans chairman Daisuke Korenaga has lamented his side are down in the dumps at the moment.

The players are very confused, because we train very hard together but the results are not showing,” he admitted.

“The content of our game has not been so bad, and I feel we are improving, but the results are not coming.”

Thus changes to the playing personnel are on the cards, with the White Swans intent on beefing up their squad.

“We have brought in one new player, and we are arranging another one with J-League experience to come next week,” he said, referring to newly-arrived goalkeeper Yoji Yamano.

Yoji Yamano also has experience playing in the USL with Harrisburg City Islanders who are in the Second Division

Experience over youth as Warriors triumph

In the end, the Warriors had too much experience as they came out 3-1 winner against the White Swans at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

But it could have been a different story if the White Swans had taken 1 of the many chances they had in the game to kill off the Warriors after taking an early lead.

Keisuke Matsui had scored for Albirex Niigata (S) from a corner after Shahril Jantan make a mistake to come out for the ball and failed to claim it.

After that, it was the White Swans all the way until John Wilkinson scored what must be the goal of the week as taking a pass from Indra, the Singapore international dribbled his way to the edge of the box and with his left foot, he fired a shot that curl into the top corner.

The youngsters were shocked as there appeared to be little danger as they had surrounded Wilkinson but the 31-year-old show why he has been the mainstay in the Warriors and Lions side.

From that point onward, the Warriors started to play better but Albirex Niigata (S) continued to make the better chances and yet with their first clear cut chance, the Warriors went ahead.

The White Swans were down to 10 men with Fumiya Kobayashi send off as he make a harsh challenge on Ahmad Latiff when he was on a yellow.

Taking advantage, the Warriors push men upfront and in 1 of the raid, Ivan Jerkovic scored his first Warriors goal as he was left all alone on the edge of the box to fire his shot past the keeper.

The Warriors then went on to make the score looked ridiculous for the White Swans, considering how well the Japanese did, as Ruzaini Zainal also scored his first Warriors goal after playing a one-two with Wilkinson to find himself one-on-one with keeper.

The Warriors are now in third spot but the case for rebuilding for next season have not gone away as their experience also mean they are in need of new blood to drive them onward.

2 games played in the previous night saw both home teams triumphed as Beijing Gouan (S) defeated Balestier Khalsa 1-0 while the Young Lions also defeated Gombak United by the same scoreline of 1-0.

The Chinese goal came from Teng Bin while the Cubs goal was scored by Safuwan Baharudin.
SAFFC
Shahril Jantan (C) (GK), Razaleigh Khalik, Ivan Lovric, Hafiz Osman, Ahmad Latiff, Noh Rahman, John Wilkinson, Ivan Jerkovic, (Ruzaini Zainal) Mustaqim Manzur, (Park Tae Won) Indra Sahdan, Taisuke Akiyoshi

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Balestier Khalsa

Ahmadulhaq Che Omar (GK), Sofiyan Abdul Hamid, Daniel Hammond (C), K Sathiaraj, Ishak Zainol, (Nurhilmi Jasni) Poh Yi Feng, Han Yiguang, Syaqir Sulaiman, (Andrew Tan) K Vikraman, Vitor Borges, Rivaldo Costa

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Young Lions
Izwan Mahbud (GK), Madhu Mohana, Safuwan Baharudin, Faritz Abdul Hameed, (Fadhil Noh) Fazli Ayob, Luka Savic, Hariss Harun (C), (Hafiz Abu Sujad) Nazrul Ahmad Nazari, Seo Su Jong, Fairoz Hasan, (Afiq Yunos) Khairul Nizam

Gombak United
Zaiful Nizam (GK), Jaslee Hatta (C), Bah Mamadou, Jeremy Chiang, (Fazli Jaffar) Hamqaamal Shah, Obadin Aikhena, Goran Subara, (Nurizam Azman) Zulkiffli Hassim, (Chang Jo Yoon) Fazrul Nawaz, Agu Casmir, Park Kang Jin

Dolphins sign a Korean

Sengkang fan blog Fish Out of Water have reported the Hougang club have sign Korean An Jae Cheul from Singapore Cricket Club (SCC).

SCC play in the amateur National Football League (NFL) and one wonder how Sengkang Punggol managed to scout the Korean from there.

Yes, SCC are Double Champions having won both the NFL Div 1 and FA Cup title.

But the fact is the standard in NFL is an ocean away from the S-league and the days when former Bulls coach Moey Yoke Ham scouted there for players still struck in my mind and let say his comments that there are countless 'talents' there did not reflect in the final results.

Let hope this time round for the Dolphins it is different as they really need it.

RHB Singapore Cup Quarter-final match-up

RHB Singapore Cup Quarter-Final

• Tampines Rovers vs Balestier Khalsa
• Young Lions vs Sengkang Punggol
• South Melbourne (Australia) vs Bangkok Glass (Thailand)
• Etoile FC vs Kitchee SC (Hong Kong)

Etoile win top of the table clash

Etoile FC won the top of the table clash in the Great Eastern-Yeo's S-league.

It was not just a victory as the French side totally played the Stags off the field and deserved their 4-0 against Tampines Rovers at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Their goals came from a brace from Frederic Mendy and with Kevin Yann and Matthias Verschave also adding getting in the act.

The Stags will be looking to regroup with Qiu Li now returning and looking sharp when he came on as a substitute. They only need Khariul Amri back to regain their full strength and mount a challenge to return back to the top of the Great Eastern-Yeo's S-league.

Tampines Rovers
Hassan Sunny (GK), Seiji Kaneko, Benoit Croissant,Zulkarnaen Zainal (C), Akihiro Nakamura, (Park Yo Seb) Zahid Ahmad, (Imran Sahib) Aliff Shafaein, Shukor Zailan, (Qiu Li) Ismadi Mukhtar, Aleksandar Duric, Jamil Ali

Uniform teams triumphed

In what have been a turmoil season for both uniform teams - SAFFC and Home United, both teams enjoy a day in the sun as they triumphed against Sengkang Punggol and Woodlands Wellington respectively.

SAFFC defeated Sengkang Punggol 1-0 at Hougang Stadium with a Taisuke Akiyoshi goal.

At Clementi Stadium, Home United defeated Woodlands Wellington 2-0 with goals from Shi Jia Yi and Sufian Anuar.

With these results, SAFFC and Home United climbed back ahead of the Young Lions.

SAFFC
Shahril Jantan (C) (GK), Razaleigh Khalik, Ivan Lovric, Hafiz Osman, (Rhysh Roshan Rai) Ahmad Latiff, Noh Rahman, John Wilkinson, Ivan Jerkovic, Mustaqim Manzur, (Park Tae Won) Indra Sahdan, Taisuke Akiyoshi

Sengkang Punggol
Fadhil Salim (GK), (Sim Li Ming) R Sivaneswaran, Shahir Hamzah, (Farizal Basri) Jasper Seet, Nor Azli Yusoff (C), An Jae Cheul, (Zul Nor Farahin) Jalal, Duncan Elias, Abdoulaye Diallo, Sobrie Mazelan, Ryan Fante

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Home United
Lionel Lewis (GK), Juma’at Jantan, Valery Hiek, Rosman Sulaiman, Shi Jia Yi, Chun Jae Woon, Shahril Ishak(C), (Sufian Anuar) Isa Halim, (Tengku Mushadad) Shahdan Sulaiman, Choi Chul Woo, (Firdaus Idros) An Hyo Yeon

Woodlands Wellington
Fajar Sarib (GK), Anaz Hadee, Kazuki Yoshino, Winston Yap, Sahairi Ramri, Syed Karim, (Rizawan Abdullah) Azlan Alipah, (Nigel Vanu) Asraf Rashid, Noor Ali (C), Sazali Salleh, Guntur Djafril

Change of venue for SAFFC vs Sengkang

This may be very late but there is a change of venue for the SAFFC vs Sengkang match according to the S-league website.

It seem the terrible pitch at Choa Chu Kang meant it cannot host another S-league game for a while and in a way, it tell us one of the many problems we faced include the state of our pitches in Singapore.

It is not just Choa Chu Kang as Yishun - which have undergone a revamp just a mere few months ago so should be in tiptop condition - is also starting to tear up and this is not acceptable

One must be asking why Choa Chua Kang and Yishun, who are in theory among the newest stadiums in Singapore, cannot have a pitch that can sustain for a season.

Young Lions reach top half of the table

The Young Lions have reached the top half of the table for the first time this season as they are no doubt showing SNOC they deserved to go to the Asian Games in Guangzhou.

The Cubs are ahead of even SAFFC and Home United now although the Cubs have played a game more.

Balestier Khalsa could have matched the Young Lions achievements if they had won the encounter against the Cubs but were dealt a crushing blow at Toa Poyah Stadium with the Cubs running away 3-0 winners.

The results did not reflect the fact the Tigers had done well in the game but Korean import Seo Su Jong open the scoring before two more goals from Nazrul Ahmad Nazari and Shahfiq Ghani killed off the tie.
The Tigers then saw Paul Cunningham send off as he committed a professional foul against Seo Su Jong who was clear on goal.

It was a bad night and the Tigers must be hoping the return of Rivaldo in the next match will add the needed bite they clearly lacked in this match.

In the other match on the same night, the Bulls defeated the White Swans 3-1 to overtake the Eagles in the race for third spot.
The Bulls goals came from Agu Casmir, Fazrul Nawaz and Zulkiffli Hassim. Takaya Sugasawa had reply for the White Swans
Balestier Khalsa

Joey Sim (GK), Paul Cunningham, Daniel Hammond (C), K Sathiaraj, Ishak Zainol, Poh Yi Feng, (Han Yiguang) Kamal Nasir, (Sofiyan Abdul Hamid) Anantha Rajan, (Andrew Tan) Nurhilmi Jasni, K Vikraman, Vitor Borges
Young Lions
Izwan Mahbud (GK), Safuwan Baharudin, Shakir Hamzah, (Hafiz Abu Sujad) Gabriel Quak, Faritz Abdul Hameed, Nazrul Ahmad Nazari, Hariss Harun (C), (Luka Savic) Izzdin Shafiq, (Afiq Yunos) Seo Su Jong, Fairoz Hasan, Shahfiq Ghani

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Gombak United
Zaiful Nizam (GK), Jaslee Hatta (C), Bah Mamadou, Jeremy Chiang, Hamqaamal Shah, (Zulkiffli Hassim) Ruhaizad Ismail, Goran Subara, Fazli Jaffar, (Chang Jo Yoon) Fazrul Nawaz, (Ridhwan Jamaludin) Agu Casmir, Park Kang Jin

Stags return to the top

Tampines Rovers return to the top of the table after defeating Beijing Gouan (S) 4-0 at the Tampines Stadium

Winger Jamil Ali open the scoring after just 10 minutes before Aliff Shafaein added a second 5 minutes after halftime.

After that, it was 'Bully' Duric turn to get his goals as he bagged a brace in a 6 minutes spell to take his tally to 9 for the season

The 39-year-old is now 5 goals away from getting his 300 domestic goals and strangely enough, or not, I believe he may get it before Indra get his 200 as Duric is getting his supply of goals from the bottom half teams who are 'generously' contributing 8 of them this season while Indra is starting to see his goals 'dry' up.

As for Duric sole goal against a top half team had a bit (OK, a lot) of luck as former Warriors teammate Shahril Jantan had let a harmless shot go under his body for that goal so it tell us how much the football gods are looking after Duric.

Tampines Rovers
Hassan Sunny (GK), Seiji Kaneko, Benoit Croissant, (Edward Tan) Zulkarnaen Zainal (C), Akihiro Nakamura, Zahid Ahmad, (Park Yo Seb) Aliff Shafaein, Shukor Zailan, (Jufri Taha) Ismadi Mukhtar, Aleksandar Duric, Jamil Ali

S-league Preview

S-league Preview - Got 3 right with 1 perfect score and 3 wrong while 1 result is not out yet.

Gombak United vs Albirex Niigata (S)
The Bulls usually fall to such sides but I do not think so for this match. The White Swans are in the bottom 3 'fighting' for the Wooden Spoon for a reason and that is they suck. One can debate for hours on the reasons behind it but one is for sure, this season they are cannon-fodders for many teams and Gombak is one of them. 2-0 to the Bulls

Balestier Khalsa vs Young Lions
Away from the Cubs Den of Jalan Besar, the Tigers will have their chance to revenge the 3-0 defeat earlier in the season. The Cubs do well at the Cub Dean with 4 of their 5 victories there but with only 1 win away all season, the Tigers must know the Cubs can be taken on. But without Rivaldo, who is suspended, they have to depend on a padlock defence, the Tigers though are still more than a match for the Cubs at the Tiger Den of Toa Poyah. However without Rivaldo goals a 1-1 draw will do.

SAFFC vs Sengkang Punggol
The Champions need a side who they can beat the hell out of now. They got it as the Dolphins are coming to Choa Chu Kang and no other results will be accepted other than a win and a convincing one at that. Indra need 2 more goals to get 200 domestic goals and surely with the Dolphins leaking goals, he will seek it out. 4-0 to SAFFC

Home United vs Woodlands Wellington
Let me repeat, Assistant Lee is still in charge and Home have no chance (Even against a bottom 3 side) in any matches in the Great Eastern-Yeo's S-league. After all, we are going to play a striker play as a defender and a defender as a striker under the genius of Assistant Lee. 2-1 to Woodlands Wellington

Etoile FC vs Tampines Rovers
Earlier in the season, this was a 1-1 draw and this may be the outcome again. At this point, neither side have to take any risks yet as there are still 18 rounds to play and enough points for both to gain or to lose. The title will be not decided by this match so why risk it all now. 1-1 draw

Young Lions vs Gombak United
Back at the Cubs Den, the Young Lions must be respected and the Bulls will have a tougher time winning this round after they had won earlier in the season 2-0. But the Bulls still have a tough defence to fall back on and the Cubs may not be able to break it down. A stalemate could be the outcome. 0-0 draw.

Beijing Gouan (S) vs Balestier Khalsa
The pitch at Yishun have not been fixed and matches played there will always be a mudbath. Luckily, the Tigers have Rivaldo and he only need one chance to get the goals. There is good enough for me. 1-0 to the Tigers

Albirex Niigata (S) vs SAFFC
After Sengkang Punggol as the opening dish this week, the Champions will find their second dish as delightful. They are getting the White Swans for the Friday Live game and as written before, there is a reason why they are bottom 3 materials this season. They have to win and again, it must be convincing. Indra must also, surely, get the goals either against the Dolphins or the White Swans to seal the deal on his 200 domestic goals. 3-0 to the Champions

Woodlands Wellington vs Geylang United
The Eagles have flown high for 2 months and they are getting a 'rest'. Unfortunately, they have landed on the wrong place and there are many predators who are feeding on their meat. The Rams are a vegetarian group but one do not think they mind feeding on the Eagles. Mike Wong have to show the last 3 defeats were a blip (And if it were a blip it was sure a big blip) not the start of something worse thus a fourth defeat will surely seal it. 3-1 to Woodlands Wellington