Warrirors look for upset

W.Ng
info@sleague.com

Seven-time S.League champions, back-to-back winners of the last three league titles and the only side to have captured the League and Cup double twice, powerhouses SAFFC are undeniably the most successful local league side.

Coupled with their recent achievement in becoming the first Singaporean side to qualify for the AFC Champions League (ACL), it is understandable that the Warriors have rarely entered into a game as rank underdogs, particularly on home soil.

It is an ignominy they will have to endure, however, when they play host to Korean champions Suwon Samsung Bluewings at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Wednesday night.

In such imperious fashion have Suwon announced their arrival in Group G of the ACL, and so comprehensively were the Warriors beaten in their opening game of the group, that it is inevitable that a large scoreline appears almost inescapable ahead of the match.

The Bluewings, who finished level on points with FC Seoul in the 2008 K-League before edging their capital rivals 3-2 on aggregate in the two-legged playoff finals at the end of the year to snatch their fourth K-League title, clinically brushed aside Japanese titans Kashima Antlers 4-1, while SAFFC went down in their first-ever ACL group stage match by the same score to China’s Shanghai Shenhua.

Even the luxury of playing on home soil seems little of an advantage at this point; in fact, the Warriors could perhaps be excused for setting out their stall to avoid a hiding that would be especially discomfiting in front of their own fans.

To add a twist of irony, Suwon have been made to endure a dismal start to their 2009 K-League campaign, losing their opening K-League match to Pohang Steelers, before being held to a goalless draw by Daejeon Citizen on Saturday, while SAFFC lead the S.League after four games as the only side with a 100% winning record.

That being said, the Bluewings might be looking to compensate for their poor domestic form with regional dominance, as they demonstrated in their thumping of Kashima Antlers, and as they seek to recapture the ACL title they won in 2001 and 2002 to become only the third side in history to snatch back-to-back titles.

So rich is the pedigree that has swelled the Suwon ranks over the years, in fact, that a number of Bluewings players past and present have graced the top leagues of Europe.

Cho Won-Hee donned Suwon’s colours last season, before signing for English Premier League side Wigan Athletic just a week ago following trails with Monaco in France, while defender Song Chong-Gug has appeared for Feyenoord Rotterdam in Holland, and Brazilian striker Eduardo “Edu” Gonçalves de Oliveira has turned out for VfL Bochum and FSV Mainz in Germany.

Cho was voted into the 2008 K-League Best 11 side along with three of his team-mates, including South Korean national keeper Lee Woon-Jae, who also bagged the Most Valuable Player award, and Edu, who finished his side’s top scorer last season.

Coached by the legendary Cha Bum-Kun, the Bluewings have also added to their ranks following last season’s success: Chinese defender Li Weifeng, the most-capped player in the current national squad, was recruited in the close season and the new signing opened accounts for his side and joining Li in an all-new central defensive partnership is Edu’s countryman Jorge Luiz, who, amusingly, joined just two days after signing for Portugal’s FC Paços de Ferreira from Vasco da Gama in Brazil, while highly-rated midfielder Lee Sang-ho has also joined from Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i.

Fans of the Bluewings hoping to catch these stars in action. however, will be dismayed by the news that Lee, Li, Song and Kim Dae Eui were all left in Korea for this fixture.

As it turns out, Richard Bok’s SAFFC could yet profit from Suwon’s poor domestic fortunes.

Said Cha of his decision to leave the four key players behind: “Both the AFC Champions League and K-League are equally important for us this season. We are giving the same amount of energy and focus on each competition.

“It is challenging for us and both the ACL and K-League are in the same week. We are doing this so that we can give equal attention to both.

“I do not really know much about SAFFC apart from watching the DVD of the game they played in Shanghai against Shanghai Shenhua.

“Part of our reasons why we left the four in Korea is due to our poor start to the K-League. I believe our young players can do well in their place.”

Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon, the former Bayer Leverkusen striker also refused to write off the Warriors’ chances despite all the odds being in his side’s favour, citing the local weather and the artificial Jalan Besar turf as factors that could well swing the tie to the hosts’ advantage.

“It does not mean that SAFFC will be easy meat in the group. I do not think we will have an easy game (at Jalan Besar).

“Firstly, the weather in Singapore is hot, unlike back in Korea where it is cold. Our players will use up their energy more here.

“The older players have less stamina while the younger ones have the lungs to use up the energy for this game.

“Secondly, we have never played a game of such significance on artificial turf.

“However, the younger players have more experience and exposure to the surface as they have played in such conditions back in college.”

Bok, meanwhile, promised his Korean counterpart a hard fight ahead of the game.

“It is already a fantastic achievement for us to be in the ACL, for the club, the players and myself.

“While Cha is talking about Asian football needing to catch up with Europe, we are looking to close the gap between the top Asian clubs and us.

“Despite not bringing the key players to Singapore, Suwon have enough quality in the team to do the job.

“The younger players have younger legs and stronger lungs, so it will still be an uphill task for us tomorrow night.

“We will do our best to show our fighting spirit and never give up.”

SAFFC captain Aleksandar Duric opined that his team-mates were looking forward to the experience of playing against the elite in Asia.

“We are expecting a tough game against Suwon tomorrow night. But this is the kind of games that we relish and are looking forward to, pitting ourselves against the best of Asian football.”

If there is further consolation for the Warriors, however slight, it is that Ahmad Latiff Khamarudin, the scorer of the goal that put SAFFC through to the AFC Champions League group stages, returns for the visit of the Koreans after being suspended on the weekend against the Young Lions.

Meanwhile, the absence of Hafiz Osman will be compensated by the probable entry of versatile defender Razaleigh Khalik, who warmed up for this match by playing for over 85 minutes in that league match.