Woodlands veterans to return against Albirex
Gary Koh
info@sleague.com
The league resumes action at Woodlands after the mid-season League Cup tournament when Woodlands Wellington host Albirex Niigata (Singapore) on Monday.
The home side will be coming into the game in high spirits after they prevailed against the odds to finish fourth in the recently-concluded competition.
The Rams would be looking to bring the boost and momentum from the cup competition into the league as they attempt to get their league form into gear.
With seven regulars benefiting from the breather they had in Friday’s third-place playoff, Woodlands coach Nenad Bacina would have more than half his starting lineup fresh against the recharged Japanese outfit.
The extra energy would be needed as they seek to avenge their 0-3 loss to the same opponents back at Jurong East early this season.
Former Singapore international Rezal Hassan will resume his duties in between the posts after he was rested on the bench on Friday.
English defender Daniel Hammond returns to partner a rejuvenated Precious Emuejeraye in central defence while Anaz Hadee and Syaiful Iskandar resume their positions as wingbacks.
Skipper Azlan Alipah will be pushed forward into his usual central midfield role alongside Chilean Luis Eduardo Hicks, with Jalal and Ismadi Mukhtar supporting them at each flank.
The only possible dilemma for Bacina to solve is whether to go for Egyptian forward Zakaria Yousif or Iranian striker Mojtaba Tehranizadeh to partner key player Jamil Ali upfront.
Neither foreign forward has been fully able to support the club top-scorer in attack so far, leaving the latter to single-handedly shoulder much of the burden of finding the goals against well-marshalled defences.
It could only get tougher for Woodlands as Albirex come into this match fully charged after their early elimination in the League Cup group stage.
The two-week break allowed White Swans coach Naoki Nauro to focus on getting his boys back into gear physically and tactically as a crowded league schedule beckons.
With only one suspension to worry about after Takatoshi Uchida collected his fourth yellow card of the season before the mid-season break, the Japanese are set to field what will be close to their strongest lineup as they look for a repeat of their victory on away ground.
The trio of Tetsuya Kishida, Akira Takase and Kenji Adachihara will be spearheading the attack as they look to rebuild their confidence in front of goal after a barren outing in the mid-season tournament.
Ryota Kobayashi will dictate the rearguard from his position in central defence while Ryohei Maeda anchors the midfield in front of the back four.
The team’s pace and passing game would be a challenge to Woodlands as they seek to ascend the league table in the midst of the mid-table chaos.
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