SINGAPORE: The Singapore men’s national football team head coach Tsutomu Ogura has announced a 26-man squad for their upcoming friendly matches against Myanmar and Chinese Taipei in November as part of their preparations for the biennial ASEAN Football Federation Championship (ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup) next month.
The Lions will take on Myanmar on Nov 14 and face Chinese Taipei four days later.
Both matches will be played at the Singapore Sports Hub at 8 pm. Tickets are priced from $13 (CAT 3) and $27 (CAT2 2), with the best seat in the centre area of the stadium for the home fans selling at $44 (CAT 1).
This will be the Lions’ first match in front of their home supporters since their last outing at the Singapore Sports Hub in June when they suffered a 7-0 defeat to South Korea in the World Cup qualifiers.
Singapore ended the qualifiers with yet another defeat, 3-0 to Thailand in the same month.
Since those losses, Singapore has embarked on a rebuilding journey to fine-tune their skills and build upon momentum for future competitions.
In September, they played friendly matches against clubs Tampines Rovers BG (Singapore) and Malaysia’s Johor Darul Takzim.
In October, the Lions set off on a training tour to Japan, where they faced off against Japanese clubs in a series of friendly matches.
Their journey began with a humbling 4-0 defeat to FC Tokyo, but the team showed resilience and grit in their next outing, clinching a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Tokyo Verdy.
However, their Japanese sojourn ended on a disappointing note, as they suffered a crushing 7-1 loss to Yokohama F. Marinos.
Now, head coach Ogura is eager to see his national team players harness the energy of their passionate home fans and use their support as a catalyst to motivate the players’ performances on the field.
“We’ve missed the fans for about five months. So, I very much appreciated the support in June. It was a fantastic atmosphere. It encouraged the players.
We are moving forward in the next game, November window, we have two games,” said head coach Ogura in an interview posted by the Football Association of Singapore.
“Same like June, I hope that the players also prepare to show a good game for the fans in the stadium.
It is important for the (ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup), to prepare. This is the most important thing,” he added.
Although head coach Ogura can tap on the services of a new citizen, Tampines Rovers midfielder Kyoga Nakamura, who received his Singapore citizenship last month, the Lions will be without several players who are plying their trade in Thailand.
Irfan Fandi (Port FC), Ikhsan Fandi, Ilhan Fandi (both from BG Pathum United), and Harhys Stewart from Chiangrai United, as well as Lion City Sailors’ Song Ui-young, are not named in the Lions squad for the November friendly matches.
The Straits Times reported that Irfan, Ikhsan and Harhys are recovering from their injuries and that the trio will unlikely be released by their Thailand clubs to participate in the regional tournament in December.
“Two games, ‘A’ friendly matches at home. Good preparation for the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup.
When we were preparing in the September and October international windows, we played in friendly games but not official FIFA international games.
For November, these are official games for us, and it’s very important.” added Lions’ head coach Ogura.
The Singapore head coach also shared that the national team are in full preparation mode, and the players are fighting for their place in the final squad list for the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup.
Singapore is in Group A in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup. They will begin their campaign by hosting Cambodia on Dec 11 and Timor-Leste in an away match on Dec 14.
Their final two round-robin matches will be against tournament favourites Thailand at home on Dec 17, and they will travel to the Bukit Jalil National Stadium to face Malaysia on Dec 20.