Looking to avoid a drubbing

SINGAPORE — Juventus’ 8-1 demolition of the Indonesian All-Stars in Jakarta last week has sent shivers down the spine of the Singapore Selection as they prepare to face the 30-time Italian champion at the National Stadium on Saturday.

The Turin side came from behind to beat Australia’s A-League All Stars on Sunday and will wrap up their pre-season tour of the Asia-Pacific region here, in a match that Fandi Ahmad described as a thrill for those of his players who would get to play.

Fandi, who has been roped in to help head coach Bernd Stange prepare the team to face the Italian giants, said: “It’s rare that you get to play a top European club and we must be prepared to do some hard work.”

“They beat the Indonesians 8-1 and I wouldn’t want to see a repeat of that score against us. Juventus are a world class team and can inflict damage on us, if they choose to do so.”

To strengthen the squad, Stange is prepared to bring in three foreign players who ply their trade in the S-League: Croatian Miroslav Pejic and Argentinian Nicolas Velez of Warriors FC, and Home United’s Sirina Camara from France.

Added Fandi: “I am concerned also about the preparations for Saturday’s match as half of the team are in the midst of the Malaysia Cup with the LionsXII and only after our opening match against Felda United at the Jalan Besar Stadium would we get the full squad to train for the match against the Serie A champions.

“We all know how good Juventus are. In a way we can learn from them — what they do with the ball and all the technical aspects of the game. One thing for sure: We are in for a tough match.”

The Italian champions have brought along a star-studded squad on this tour, led by midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo, former Manchester City and Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez, French midfielder Paul Pogba and Spanish striker Fernando Llorente.

Singapore’s defensive stalwart, Baihakki Khaizan, is expecting a torrid time dealing with the Italian attack. “But we are mentally prepared,” said Baihakki. “We did play a few top European clubs in our recent two-week tour of Austria and we did well, so at least we know what to expect.

“I know Juventus are different. They are world-class, but their style is also European.

“Technically and tactically, they are going to be superior to us. But I would not want to see an 8-1 scoreline in their favour, like how they beat the Indonesians. We need to keep the score down. To lose 8-1 would not be nice for us.” DAN GUEN CHIN

Details:

Singapore Selection vs Juventus

National Stadium, Sports Hub

Saturday, 16 August, 6pm

Tickets available at www.sportshubtix.sg, Singapore Indoor Stadium box office and all SingPost outlets

The Singapore Selection:

GK: Izwan Mahbud, Hassan Sunny

DF: Al-Qaasimy Rahman, Baihakki Khaizan, Afiq Yunos, Shakir Hamzah, Shaiful Esah, Safuwan Baharudin, Sirina Camara

MF: Iqbal Hussain, Gabriel Quak, Hariss Harun, Shahdan Sulaiman, Zulfahmi Arifin, Faris Ramli, Miroslav Pejic

FW: Shahfiq Ghani, Sahil Suhaimi, Shahril Ishak, Khairul Amri, Nicolas Velez.