No Hariss, No Safuwan, No Problem

SINGAPORE — It has been dubbed the do-or-die mission for the Lions: Defeat Afghanistan in their World Cup/Asian Cup Group E qualifier at the National Stadium tomorrow (Oct 8) to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the next round, and the 2019 Asian Cup.

Just don’t tell that to Singapore head coach Bernd Stange. 

While he remains confident that his 157th-ranked Lions will defeat their world No 150 opponents, Stange is careful not to heap too much pressure on the team. He also warned of a long qualifying campaign that will see Singapore play home games against Afghanistan, Cambodia (Oct 13) and Japan (Nov 12) before travelling to Afghanistan in March next year. 

“I will never say such things as do-or-die,” said the German today. “It’s a long way to go and our possibility to change players and teams are limited in Singapore … you never know what will happen and that’s why you cannot give any promises.”

However, a first World Cup qualifying home win tonight will be key to building team confidence in the Lions, he added.

“We are ready to go. We are very optimistic as we have 22 players available, and no injuries,” he said. “I believe if we concentrate from our first minute to the end, if we fight and give our all, we should win. We don’t have any option — we have to win this game.”

Added captain Shahril Ishak today: “It is important for us to get six points (in the two matches) because we are playing at home, if we collect those six points, we have a good chance of qualifying.”

The Lions will be missing stalwarts Hariss Harun and Safuwan Baharudin because of suspension. As a result, Stange has kept his cards close to his chest, choosing to announce his final squad only 15 minutes before kick-off. 

But Afghanistan head coach Slaven Skeledzic is not celebrating Hariss and Safuwan’s absences just yet, pointing to left-footed defender Shaiful Esah, and strikers Fazrul Nawaz and Sahil Suhaimi as “dangerous players”. 

“We play against a very good and well-organised team, but we have a chance to win,” he said today.

“They do not have much weaknesses. But in Asia as a whole, when players have pressure on the ball, they make many mistakes. We must create pressure on the ball, and create less space (for them) to play.”

Afghanistan are fourth in the group on three points, behind Syria (9), Japan (7) and Singapore (4) after 6-0 losses to Syria and Japan, and a 1-0 win over Cambodia. That is why Skeledzic has also dubbed tomorrow’s clash as a must-win for his team, made up of players plying their trade in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Fans at the National Stadium can also expect entertaining “European-style” football from the 2013 South Asian Football Federation Cup champions, said Skeledzic, who took over the helm in February this year. 

“We don’t put the ball from the back to the forward,” he said. “Our philosophy is nearer to that of Barcelona, but we don’t just copy it. We want to go to the goal quickly like Barcelona. Every player on the field knows what they have to do when they have the ball.”

While the 55,000-seater stadium has yet to sell out, Stange is hopeful fans will turn out in force to cheer the Lions to victory. “It’s great to be back in Sports Hub, we have a fantastic surface … it should be a great atmosphere. The fans should come and support us because football with our fans is incredible and we need our fans.”

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) will be providing hourly updates on the status of tomorrow’s match between Singapore and Afghanistan from 5pm onwards. It said in an advisory today that the match will proceed if the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) is below 201 before kick-off. Asian Football Confederation (AFC) match officials will “assess the situation and decide on the appropriate course of action” if the PSI level hits the very unhealthy range close to the start of the match. Additional medical resources will also be put in place. 

The FAS also said in a haze advisory issued yesterday that no refunds will be given if the match is postponed and/or cancelled due to the haze. 

Ticket info (www.sportshubtix.sg)

• Cat 1 tickets: $38
• Cat 2 tickets: $28
• Two-match bundles: $50 (Cat 1) and $36 (Cat 2)
• Concessions for students (16 and below) and senior citizens (60 and above): $15 (Cat 1) and $10 (Cat 2)

Live on TV: ELEVEN Sports Network (Singtel Ch109, 7.30pm)

Singapore’s matches so far (all away):

• Beat Cambodia 4-0
• Drew Japan 0-0
• Lost Syria 0-1

Remaining fixtures:

• Oct 13 – v Cambodia  (National Stadium)
• Nov 12 – v Japan (National Stadium)
• Nov 17 – v Syria (National Stadium)
• Mar 29 – v Afghanistan (Away, venue TBC)