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Sengkang face slow-starting Albirex
Paul Green
info@sleague.com
Former strugglers Sengkang Punggol have made a bright start to the 2010 season, though they have won only twice in the Great Eastern-YEO’S S.League, after a highly promising League Cup campaign and ultimately a third-place finish in that early-season competition.
The same can hardly be said for their opponents at Hougang Stadium on Thursday night, Albirex Niigata (Singapore) – who have made arguably the slowest start to any campaign since first arriving in Singapore seven years ago.
They are yet to win a match after six outings, though to be fair they have had some tough ones, such as opening their home programme with the visits of powerhouses Home United and Tampines Rovers in rapid succession.
They have also been asked to visit Choa Chu Kang Stadium to play title-holders SAFFC already, returning to Jurong East with their tails between their legs after an inglorious 0-3 reversal last Saturday night.
The best the White Swans have managed to date is a 0-0 draw at home to Gombak United and a 1-1 draw away to Geylang, neither results that should be sneezed at, of course.
Yet self-doubt may be creeping in for this youthful Albirex team after being unable to break through for a win after six matches, on top of suffering a League Cup exit at the preliminary round stage.
There is little doubt that rookie coach Koichi Sugiyama, a former Urawa Red Diamonds star, will be well aware of this, and he is sure to urge his men to play to their strengths and forget about past matches.
Sengkang may be playing at home, but so were Geylang when the White Swans took away a point from Bedok Stadium at the start of February, which means Hougang Stadium and the Dolphins should really hold no fears for the new-look team since Sengkang have lost twice there already this season in only three outings.
Defeats at home to Balestier Khalsa and SAFFC are balanced by the Dolphins’ 2-1 win over Gombak there and a 1-0 away win at Woodlands, plus the unlucky 2-2 draw against Etoile FC at Jalan Besar Stadium, also in February.
So, with this background to draw on, Albirex must have some chance of collecting their first win of the season, which would be even more satisfying should it happen away from home on Thursday.
Their chances may be enhanced if Dolphins striker Mamadou Diallo, who took a knock to the knee during the match against Home a week ago, does not recover in time.
“Diallo has not been able to train for the last three days,” said Sengkang coach Aide Iskandar on Wednesday night.
“I won’t rule him out completely yet and we’ll wait until just before the game to see if we can play him or not. He may yet recover in time.”
Aide is also conscious of the need to provide man-of-the-moment Jordan Webb with support.
“Opposition defenders are much better aware of Jordan now,” the former national skipper confided.
“They are man-marking him these days, and he can’t enjoy the individual freedom he did when the season first started. He’ll need to fit in even more as a team player now and work with the other players to provide us with what we are looking for from him.
“It’s only through his contribution to teamwork that we’ll get the best out of him from now on.”
If the Canadian winger can find a way past a well-briefed Albirex defence, then there is a chance the fleet-footed forward can add to his useful tally of four goals.
The good news for Aide is that there are no suspended players in the Sengkang side and, Diallo apart, no injuries worrying them.
Recent history, however, does not seem to favour the Dolphins all that much.
The teams met three times last season, twice on the neutral Jalan Besar pitch, sharing a win apiece, but a 0-1 result at Jurong East gave the Dolphins the bragging rights for the season, two wins to one.
The last time the sides met at Hougang Stadium was back in 2008, when it finished 0-0.
Little is likely to be given away on Thursday by either side. Sengkang, if they can field Diallo as well as Webb, will fancy their chances.
If they cannot include both at once, then the older Diallo, Abdoulaye, may come into contention again for the ‘fourth foreigner’ spot in the starting eleven.
Much will hinge on this selection headache facing the Sengkang coach as the kick-off approaches.
Albirex, on the other hand, will be more concerned about keeping things tight and breaking down a stubborn Dolphins’ defence.
They will certainly need to do both if they are to end their wait for a first win this year quickly. |
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