Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Singapore Armed Forces may have started their 2013 campaign poorly but captain Daniel Bennett feels that his team are coming together and will give a good account of themselves when they host Hong Kong champions Kitchee in Group E of the AFC Cup on Tuesday.
The Singapore Cup holders, who were recently renamed Warriors FC, made a number of additions to their squad in the off-season including veteran Japanese defender Kazuyuki Toda but they have stumbled out of the blocks with a draw and three defeats in their first four matches of the year.
Hammered 6-1 at home by Tanjong Pagar United in their most recent S.League outing on March 5, the Warriors also lost 3-1 at Indonesian Premier League champions Semen Padang in their Group E opener last Tuesday.
Bennett though feels that it is too early to push the panic button ahead of the clash with Kitchee at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
“Everyone knows we are going through a rough patch but it’s not easy get players to gel into a new team although I think that the players are gelling better now,” said the Singapore international defender.
“We had a difficult time in Padang because of the pitch and the weather conditions although we may have given Semen Padang too much respect. However, we will be playing on familiar conditions at Jalan Besar tomorrow and that should work to our advantage.”
The Warriors are playing in the AFC Cup for the first time since they reached the Quarter-Finals in 2008 and recently-installed head coach V.Selvaraj stressed the importance of a win to revive his side’s ambitions in the tournament.
“I believe that this game is very important for us as we need to get three points to stay alive in the competition,” he said.
“We have not played in the AFC Cup for a few year years but we know the threat that Kitchee pose and we will be ready for the game.”
Kitchee began their campaign with a 3-0 win over India’s Churchill Brothers and their coach, Spaniard Josep Gombau, is familiar with Singapore after coaching the Hong Kong club in the Singapore Cup in 2010 and against Tampines Rovers in the AFC Cup last year.
“We are familiar with Singapore football as we have faced their clubs regularly in the AFC Cup and in the Singapore Cup in recent years. We are familiar with the stadiums, the hotels and the training facilities here, which are very important in our preparations for a match like this,” he said.
“I saw their match at Semen Padang last week and while they lost, I felt that they were a bit unlucky and they were also playing in very difficult conditions in Indonesia. They are a good team and I am expecting a better performance from them tomorrow.”
Tuesday’s other Group E game will be played at the Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, where Churchill Brothers will entertain Semen Padang in an afternoon match.
Churchill coach Mariano Dias admits that he knows little about the Indonesian club but he expects a tough outing for his side in their home opener.
“I haven’t seen them play but we have read newspaper reports and we know that they are a strong side and are top of the Indonesian league.
“The travelling has been very hectic and it does take its toll on our players. However, it is part of football and we must deal with it in a positive way and go out there and try to win the match tomorrow.”
Semen Padang’s hopes of winning a second match in a row have been dealt a blow with all of their import players unable to play because of injury or visa problems.
“We have travelled a long way and we are hopeful that we will take home all three points,” said Semen coach Jafri Sastrak.
“We will be missing all four of our foreigners tomorrow, one because of injury and three with visa problems but we are confident that our players will give their all and help us to win.”
Photo: WSG