Having suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bangkok United in their recent Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two Group G match, the Lion City Sailors will be determined to produce a different outcome when they host the Thai side in the reverse fixture at the Bishan Stadium on Thursday (6 November) evening.
Meeting familiar opposition
With four points from their opening three Group G matches, the Sailors know they can ill afford to drop any more points if they are to keep their qualification hopes in their own hands.
Beating Bangkok United will be easier said than done, however, as the Thai side got the better of the reigning Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions in their last three meetings. Their most recent encounter saw Bangkok United claim a 1-0 win over a 10-man Sailors side, courtesy of a Muhsen Al-Ghassani penalty at the True BG Stadium.
And on Thursday, the Bangkok Angels will be looking to extend their strong run of results against the Sailors and take a big step towards securing their place in the Round of 16.
“The Sailors are tough opponents to play against as they have many quality players. Our focus is not on past results, but on our own team and players,” said Bangkok United Head Coach Totchtawan Sripan.
Bangkok United did show some frailties in recent weeks, needing two stoppage-time goals to scrape past bottom-placed Lamphun Warriors 4-3 in Thai League 1 on 26 October, before suffering a shock 2-1 defeat to Uthai Thani – who currently sit 14th in the 16-team standings – in their most recent league outing.
With his side playing three games in just the space of a week, squad management will be key for the 53-year-old as he aims to navigate a tricky congested schedule.
“Since we are playing a lot of games in a short period of time, we will not make many tactical changes,” said Totchtawan. “Instead, we will rely on the players who are in the best possible condition to help us get the victory we need to reach the knockout stages.”
While former Sailor Richairo Živković is likely to miss the game through injury, Bangkok United still have plenty of quality in attack, including the evergreen Teerasil Dangda — Thai League 1’s all-time local top scorer, who has also earned over a century of caps for the Thailand national team.
This fixture will also see former BG Tampines Rovers stalwarts Kyoga Nakamura and Seia Kunori return to Singapore, with the duo boasting a combined total of nearly 200 SPL appearances under their belt.
Also returning to familiar territory is Montenegrin midfielder Nebojša Kosović, who scored a brace for his country in a 3-2 defeat to a Singapore Under-15 side at the Jalan Besar Stadium during the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.
“I have very nice memories playing in Singapore, and I’m very happy to be back here. It will be a very tough game, especially in the middle of the pitch,” said Kosović.
“We are very clear on the instructions from the manager and coaching staff. Our schedule has been tough, but we are all mentally focused. Now, we just need to be focused and well-prepared for what will come tomorrow.”
Ready for a response
Though Bangkok United will be tricky opposition for the Sailors, they can take heart from their strong record against Thai opposition in continental competition.
Indeed, the Sailors’ defeat to Bangkok United marked their first loss in their last six meetings with Thai sides, a run which includes memorable home wins against the likes of Port FC and Muangthong United in the ACL Two.
The Sailors will head into the game in high spirits as well, having responded to their defeat in Bangkok with a 3-0 win in the SPL over Albirex Niigata. Their previous continental match at Bishan Stadium also saw them put up a dominant display to overpower Selangor FC 4-2 on 1 October.
With the Sailors aiming to secure a spot in the knockout stages for a second year running, Sailors Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković is confident that his side has the character to deliver a positive result against Bangkok.
“We need to bring the right mentality and determination into every game, and luckily for me, I do not have to remind my players of this,” said Ranko. Everyone knows the importance of the match tomorrow. They will be a tough opponent, but we will also pose a challenge for them.”
While the Sailors’ task will be made tougher with the absence of experienced figures Hariss Harun and Safuwan Baharudin, the Serbian remains assured that his players have what it takes to rise to the occasion.
“We are going to miss them and the experience they bring, but I know the rest of my players will step up tomorrow like how they’ve been doing for the past few seasons,” he explained.
Ranko’s sentiments were echoed by German forward Lennart Thy, who has already made his mark in the competition this season by scoring a crucial late equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Persib Bandung in their opening group game.
“We demand a lot from ourselves in every game. The team showed what we are capable of in the last game against Selangor, and we all know what we need to do tomorrow to get all three points,” explained the 33-year-old.
With the Sailors aiming to produce another memorable performance at home, Lennart has called on the fans to turn up in numbers at the Bishan Stadium.
“I hope that there are many fans at the stadium. It’s always good to have them behind us as they are always very supportive, and that gives us an extra boost on the field. We’re going to give everything to deliver a good result tomorrow.”
