Singapore Premier League • November 3, 2015

Chance For DPMM To Pull Away

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Geylang International vs Brunei DPMM
(Tuesday, 3 Nov, 7:30pm, Bedok Stadium)

All attention will be on Brunei DPMM when they take on Geylang International at the Bedok Stadium on Tuesday evening.

DPMM currently lead the league table by five points over nearest challengers Tampines Rovers, although the Stags have a game in hand.

However, following Tampines’ draw against Warriors FC on Monday, DPMM are in the driving seat for the S.League title.

They will be looking to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Tampines, and Kean knows it is important for his side to get results from their next two games.

“When you look at the last two away games we came back with six points. We will have to do that again against Geylang (International FC) and the Warriors,” Kean said.

“We are disappointed but we got no time to feel sorry for ourselves. We are still top of the table with a few games left and I’m sure that every team including Tampines would rather swap places with us.”

However, against Geylang, it will not be an easy fight.

The Eagles are coming into the game on the back of a 2-1 win over Home United, and are trying their best to avoid finishing bottom of the table for the first time in their proud history.

Their task is made harder with the suspension of Azwan Ali, after the winger picked up his fourth yellow card of the season in the defeat to Tampines.

The winger will be a huge miss for DPMM, although the Bruneians will welcome forward Paulo Sergio back from suspension.

Geylang are currently bottom of the table on goal difference despite having the same amount of points with Hougang United, a team they will face on the final day of the season.

A win in that game will help Geylang avoid finishing last, but coach Jorg Steinebrunner wants his side to focus in every game until then.

“To be very frank, at the moment, it (climbing off the foot of the table) doesn’t matter,” he asserted.

“If it’s the last game, and we are out of the bottom, then we can think about our feelings.

“But it’s not like we are so many points away from not finishing last, and it would be a mistake to think about it now and lose focus.”

Key Player to Watch

Geylang International: Jozef Kaplan

The Geylang captain usually reserve his best performance for the big games, and it does not come any bigger than a match against Brunei DPMM.

Kaplan was arguably Geylang’s best performer against Home United as well. It was him who created the winner for Bruno Castanheira, and Steinebrunner will be hoping for a similar outing from the Slovakian.

Brunei DPMM: Joseph Gamble

Paulo Sergio and Rafael Ramazotti may be earning the plaudits for scoring goals upfront, but it is midfielder Joseph Gamble who makes the team tick.

His incisive passing has led to numerous chances created for his side, and against a Geylang team expected to defend compactly, Gamble will be needed to split the defence open with his vision.

Geylang International – DLLLLW

30/10/15    Geylang International 2-1 Home United (S.League)
26/10/15    Albirex Niigata (S) 2-0 Geylang International (S.League)
20/10/15    Geylang International 1-4 Tampines Rovers (S.League)
16/10/15    Harimau Muda 2-0 Geylang International (S.League)
04/10/15    Courts Young Lions 2-3 Geylang International (S.League)

Brunei DPMM – WDWWL

28/10/15     Brunei DPMM 0-1 Tampines Rovers (S.League)
23/10/15     Harimau Muda 0-2 Brunei DPMM (S.League)
20/10/15     Hougang United 1-2 Brunei DPMM (S.League)
17/10/15     Brunei DPMM 4-4 Home United (S.League)
02/10/15     Brunei DPMM 3-2 Home United (Singapore Cup)

Head to Head (S.League)

05/08/15     Brunei DPMM 3-1 Geylang International
16/04/15     Geylang International 0-1 Brunei DPMM
14/06/14     Brunei DPMM 0-0 Geylang International
28/03/14     Geylang International 1-1 Brunei DPMM
06/11/13     Brunei DPMM 2-2 Geylang International