Courts Young Lions vs Home United

(May 7, Wednesday, 7.30pm, Jalan Besar Stadium)

Written by: Kenneth Ho

A confident Courts Young Lions will take on Home United in Jalan Besar Stadium after an impressive outing the last time round.

Earning their second win of the season in style, they put three unanswered goals past Hougang United to earn their first clean sheet of the season along the way.

However, they will be missing the man who had a hand in all three goals in that match, as Sahil Suhaimi will sit out two games following his dismissal in the game against the Cheetahs.

Young Lions goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari put on a fantastic display against the Cheetahs last time out, and he will need to continue that form, especially when his side come up against Home.

The Protectors crashed to a shocking 4-0 defeat by Albirex Niigata, but rebounded to stun title and traditional rivals Warriors FC 4-1 last week.

This fact was not lost on Young Lions coach Aide Iskandar, who urged his charges to maintain their focus and provide a stern test for the Protectors.

The holy trinity of Fazrul Nawaz, Qiu Li and Bruno Castanheira up front have been causing damage to most defences, and they have been suitably supported by 2013 Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League Player of the Year Lee Kwan Woo as his intelligent passes have confounded defences and allowed the aforementioned trio to have clear runs at goal.

A big win over Warriors would have boosted the Home camping ground, and there is no one more dangerous than a Home side confident in out-scoring their opponents.

Suspension: Sahil Suhaimi (Courts Young Lions)

Key Men To Watch

Courts Young Lions: Syazwan Buhari

The goalkeeper was in splendid form against Hougang in the last match to help his side gain their first clean sheet of the season,

Without Sahil, the attacking threat from the Young Lions have greatly diminished and at best they should be looking at getting a point from this fixture.

Against a dangerous Home who come into this match of the back of a morale-boosting 4-1 win over their traditional rivals Warriors FC, Syazwan will be an important figure in this match.

Home United: Bruno Castanheira

There is simply too many key players to watch out for in this Home side brimming with an array of attacking talents but Castanheira should be a good choice.

Strong off the ball, the forward is also technically gifted. His ability to either run with the ball or hold it up for his teammates to run onto has become very valuable and it is no coincidence his return from injury has coincided with his club’s recent run of wins.

With four goals to his name, Castanheira can come up with the goods when required and there is a high chance he may do just that against Young Lions.

Courts Young Lions – WLWLL

02/5/14    Hougang United 0-3 Courts Young Lions

24/4/14    Courts Young Lions 2-3 Warriors FC

20/4/14    Harimau Muda 2-3 Courts Young Lions

10/4/14    Courts Young Lions 1-2 Albirex Niigata (S)

6/4/14      Brunei DPMM 6-1 Courts Young Lions

Home United – WLWWW

02/5/14    Warriors FC 1-4 Home United

27/4/14    Albirex Niigata (S) 4-2 Home United

23/4/14    Persipura Jayapura 2-0 Home United (AFC Cup)

17/4/14    Home United 4-0 Tanjong Pagar United

13/4/14    Woodlands Wellington 0-3 Home United

Head to Head (S.League)

30/8/13    Home United 1-0 Courts Young Lions

25/4/13    Courts Young Lions 0-2 Home United

1/11/12    Courts Young Lions 0-0 Home United

13/5/12    Home United 3-1 Courts Young Lions

29/10/11  Courts Young Lions 0-2 Home United

28/9/11    Home United 2-0 Courts Young Lions

20/4/11    Courts Young Lions 0-1 Home United