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League Cup high-flyers looking for winning touch
Elwyn Lee
info@sleague.com
Twelve days after emerging runners-up and third respectively in the League Cup competition, Woodlands Wellington and Sengkang Punggol are set to cross swords with each other in the S.League at Woodlands Stadium this Thursday evening.
The two sides had performed commendably in the League Cup, winning against illustrious adversaries like Tampines Rovers and SAFFC.
But their return to league action has proven to be less than smooth, and they will likely find the ‘sprinter’ format of the League Cup more to their satisfaction compared to the ‘stayer’ nature of the S.League.
The Rams have definitely found some joy playing in cup competitions, having reached the Singapore Cup final two years ago and finishing fourth in the League Cup last term.
Their league form this year has not been good, as they find themselves propping up the league table with two points after three games.
Held 2-2 by the Young Lions on the opening day of the league season, they struggled to break down Beijing Guoan two weeks later and had to settle for a 0-0 draw on their own turf.
And after an exciting but exhausting League Cup campaign, they were visibly tired as they found themselves at the wrong end of a four-goal hiding by Etoile FC at Queenstown.
Woodlands will thus be eager to claim all three points in order to lift themselves off the bottom of the league table, a position they fell to on Monday when Albirex Niigata (Singapore), who previously occupied that position, earned a point against Gombak United.
Visiting Sengkang, in the meantime, have slid down to third from bottom in the league, having earned four points from their four games so far.
Their lone win in those four matches came on home ground when they edged Gombak 2-1, before they were held to a 2-2 draw by Etoile before the league campaign.
Despite losing to reigning S.League champions SAFFC by a 1-3 margin on Monday, Sengkang coach Aide Iskandar will take his squad up north optimistic of their chances of adding to their solitary league win so far.
The 34-year-old seemed confident about his side’s visit to Woodlands, perhaps buoyed by the fact that he has a full squad to choose from for the match.
Despite reluctantly releasing Guinean striker Moussa Keita recently, the Dolphins were quick to find a replacement for him, signing Canadian forward Ryan Fante.
Fante’s arrival will be a boost to the Sengkang attacking line, which already boasts the talents of compatriot Jordan Webb and League Cup top scorer Mamadou Diallo.
The presence of these young strikers has made Aide confident of getting a positive result at Woodlands, as they look to transfer their form from the League Cup over to the league.
“The League Cup is over and now we can fully focus on the league campaign,” he said.
“Every game is a possible chance for three points, and we will be trying our best to achieve this.
“It will be a tight contest, Woodlands are a good team with a good coach in A. Shasi Kumar.
“Every time we play each other, it is a tight contest. But we will go there determined to play for a win.”
At time of writing, Shasi was unavailable to return Aide’s compliment.
But if Aide and his charges wish to collect all three points at Woodlands, they will have to be wary of the Rams’ latest weapon, namely midfielder Rachid Lajane.
The Moroccan was given his introduction to the S.League last week, when he came on as a substitute in the defeat to Etoile.
The Frenchmen’s performance in that game ensured that Lajane was overshadowed on the occasion, as was every other Woodlands player, but he may be able to assert himself better against the Sengkang midfield.
Woodlands will also be pleased by the knowledge that none of their players are suspended against Sengkang, but off-season signing Syed Karim looks certain to miss out once again.
Otherwise the Rams have everyone available for this match. |
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