The Lion City Sailors will wrap up their second ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup campaign on Thursday (5 February) night, as they host Cambodian champions PKR Svay Rieng in their final Group B clash at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
A tricky Svay Rieng outfit
Svay Rieng have given a strong account of themselves in the competition so far. A 3-0 victory over Myanmar champions Shan United and a 2-2 draw with Malaysian giants Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) have been the highlights of a group campaign that also saw them beaten 2-1 by Vietnamese side Nam Định FC.
The four-time Cambodian Premier League (CPL) champions currently sit third in Group B, six points behind JDT, who have played a game more. While qualification for the semi-finals remains a tall order, Svay Rieng are still mathematically in the hunt.
To keep those hopes alive, they will need to overcome the Sailors and hope results elsewhere fall their way on Thursday, before also picking up three points in their rescheduled Matchday Four fixture against Bangkok United.
“It’s difficult and not completely in our hands, but qualification is still possible, so we’re going to give everything to try to progress to the next round,” said Svay Rieng head coach Matthew McConkey at the pre-match press conference.
“The key for us is to build on last season, and I think we’ve been very competitive in every game in this competition so far. These matches have been decided by moments. We could have done better in taking our chances and not conceding at key times, and that’s what we hope to improve on tomorrow.
“The Sailors have a lot of quality, especially with foreigners who have played in big leagues before. They are well structured defensively and very good in transition. They’re also a big, physical side, so we can’t afford to concede too many set-pieces. We need to be aggressive and find ways to create space.”
The 32-year-old Northern Irishman has done a sterling job so far since taking the helm in June 2025, recording 18 wins, two draws, and just four defeats in 24 matches across all competitions.
Under his stewardship, Svay Rieng have also reached the knockout stages of another international competition, and will face domestic rivals Phnom Penh Crown in the quarter-finals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge League in March.
On the domestic front, McConkey’s side are locked in a tight title race, and they currently hold a two-point lead over Phnom Penh at the top of the CPL table.
Svay Rieng boast a number of established Cambodian internationals in their ranks, including Japan-born midfielder Yudai Ogawa, who acquired Cambodian citizenship in 2023. They also possess significant attacking threat, with former Ghana Under-23 starlet Peprah Kwame and Brazilian duo Patrick Robson and Cristian Roque all finding the net in the Shopee Cup.
The duo have been central to Svay Rieng’s domestic success too, combining for 33 out of the club’s 56 league goals so far this season, with Kwame leading the CPL scoring charts on 18.
“We’ve done well so far in the Shopee Cup and almost beat JDT. For this game, our focus is on maintaining better concentration so that we can get a win and keep our hopes of reaching the next round alive,” said captain Soeuy Visal, who has more than 80 Cambodian caps to his name.
Sailors looking to finish on a high
Nonetheless, with home advantage on their side, the Sailors are determined to end their continental campaign on a positive note and give the home crowd something to cheer about.
Victory would put them in a strong position to finish third in Group B with seven points, which will represent an improvement on last season’s inaugural tournament, where they placed fifth with four points.
“It’s important for us to win this final group game and finish the campaign on a positive note,” said Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković. “This campaign hasn’t been easy for us for various reasons, but we want to put on a good showing for the supporters who turn up tomorrow.
“My focus is on selecting the best team possible and ensuring we give the best representation of our club.”
While the Sailors can no longer qualify for the next stage, the competition has provided valuable international exposure for the squad, which they are keen to build on in future seasons.
“The Shopee Cup is important for young Singaporean players like me to prove ourselves on this stage,” said defender Akram Azman, who has started the club’s last four matches, including last week’s loss to Nam Định. “It’s never easy to step up from the domestic league to the continental stage, where matches are more competitive and physical.
“But the local players relish this opportunity, and for us, the most important thing is to represent Singapore football well tomorrow night and get a positive result.”
