News • May 23, 2017
Cheetahs Seek A Win Against Stags
Hougang United vs Tampines Rovers
(25 May, Thursday, 7.30pm, Hougang Stadium)
Written by: Â Rashid Sulaiman
Hougang United head coach Philippe Aw is confident his charges have the ability to return to winning ways in the 2017 Great Eastern-Hyundai S.League when they face title hopefuls Tampines Rovers at the Hougang Stadium on Thursday night.
The Cheetahs were on a two-game winning streak before it was halted in the previous game by Geylang International in a 1-1 draw.
Speaking to S.League.com ahead of their match against Jurgen Raabâs team, Aw believes that his team did not perform badly in the matches where they dropped points.
âWe just need to find consistency in our results and in front of goals too. We played decently in some matches but we were not able to find the back of the net,â said Aw.
âWe need to finish our chances and I believe we can pick up more points. I know the boys have played to their best ability and we are capable of beating any team if we play as a unit.â
Their first meeting this season saw the Stags come away with a 2-1 win, but Aw believes that the scoreline was not a true reflection of his teamâs performance on that night.
âIn the first match against Tampines we were unfortunate to lose 2-1. We had a good game but could not come away with a win,â added the Cheetahsâ head coach.
âTampines may be the stronger team on paper but I am confident that my boys are prepared for this match and will do their best to get the three points.
Although the Stags went down 4-1 against S.League leaders Albirex Niigata (S) over the weekend, Aw believes that the Jurong West-based club did not have a bad day out on the field.
âTampines did not play badly against Albirex in their last match. They were unlucky to be hit by two late goals,â explained Aw.
âAlthough they will be missing Shakir for this match, it wonât be much of a problem for them as they got depth in their squad and several national team players.
âWe are not far behind from them and a win for us would be good for the team to climb the table.â
Hougang is currently in fifth position on 13 points, five points behind Tampines who are in third spot.
While Raab will be without the services of defender Shakir who was shown the marching orders in their previous match, Aw will be missing Ali Hudzaifi and Delwinder Singh who are serving out their one-match suspension.
Suspensions: Ali Hudzaifi, Delwinder Singh (both Hougang United), Shakir Hamzah (Tampines Rovers)
Hougang United – LLWWD
20/05/17 Geylang International 1-1 Hougang United
11/05/17 Warriors FC 0-2 Hougang United
27/04/17 Hougang United 1-0 Balestier Khalsa
14/04/17 Albirex Niigata (S) 2-0 Hougang United
09/04/17 Hougang United 0-2 Home United
Tampines Rovers – WWLWL
21/05/17 Tampines Rovers 1-4 Albirex Niigata (S)
12/05/17 Tampines Rovers 3-2 Home United
03/05/17 Tampines Rovers 2-4 Ceres-Negros FC (AFC Cup)
28/04/17 Brunei DPMM 0-1 Tampines Rovers
23/04/17 Tampines Rovers 1-0 Garena Young Lions
Head to Head (S.League)
03/03/17 Tampines Rovers 2-1 Hougang United
17/08/16 Tampines Rovers 1-2 Hougang United
04/05/16 Hougang United 1-1 Tampines Rovers
26/02/16 Tampines Rovers 4-1 Hougang United
17/10/15 Tampines Rovers 1-0 Hougang United