Injury-hit Stags vow to charge on

SINGAPORE — It has been 12 years since an S.League club qualified for the semi-finals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup, with both Geylang International and Home United flying the flag high for Singapore in the 2004 edition of the tournament.

After a long hiatus from the top four, that achievement could finally be matched this year with Tampines Rovers just two matches away from a semi-final spot.

But the Stags will need to overcome a number of challenges as they face Indian-League (I-League) champions Bengaluru FC in the first of their two-leg quarter-final tomorrow evening at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore.

Head coach Akbar Nawas’ squad will be missing striker Fazrul Nawaz, and midfielders Shahdan Sulaiman and Fabian Kwok due to injuries, while a number of young players, including midfielder Saifullah Akbar, will be unavailable due to their involvement with the national Under-19 squad for the ongoing Asean Football Federation (AFF) U-19 Youth Championship in Vietnam.

However, the Stags will be able to count on the services of Yasir Hanapi in midfield, as Akbar confirmed that the 27-year-old will be available for selection despite limping off midway during their S.League match against Home United on Saturday.

Akbar told TODAY that he is counting on his players to remain tactically compact, and play a smart game away from home.

“Of course, it’s always important for us to win the game and get an away goal but, in order to do that, we must first focus on how we play and ensure we do it to the best of our abilities,” said the 41-year-old.

“It’s an away game, so the players need to be smart and shape up well tactically. I haven’t yet decided how we’ll set ourselves up for the game, whether we’ll be adventurous or cautious ... but what really matters is how we perform on the day.”

Tampines will also be on the hunt for some silverware after their 1-0 loss to Home on Saturday dented their chances of winning the S.League title this season.

“The players are gutted with how we lost the game against Home, especially because we had so many chances that we failed to convert,” added Akbar. “So all of them are very eager to play the next game as they want to bounce back quickly and they’re determined to make sure that this time, they will put the ball in the back of the net.

“Result aside, our game against Home was also a good tune-up for us to take on Bengaluru, because we had not been playing as a group for a while due to the international break, and so the match was timely because it has helped us regain our sharpness ahead of such a crucial tie.”

TV times

9.30pm: Bengaluru FC vs Tampines Rovers (StarHub Channel 208)