Courts Young Lions vs Tampines Rovers

(May 23, Friday, 7.30pm, Jalan Besar Stadium)

Written by: Muhammad Yazid

Tampines Rovers, who are winless in five games in the S.League, pay a visit to the Jalan Besar Stadium to lock horns with Courts Young Lions in a televised encounter.

Under interim coach Rafi Ali’s reign,  the Stags are yet earn a win. However Rafi has led the side to credible draws against the title-chasing sides. One of those games included the 3-3 draw with high-flying Warriors FC when they had to make a comeback twice in that game.

Thus, it is high-time Rafi leads his charges towards his first win, against a side which has a dodgy and inexperienced backline.

Young Lions have shown some decent performances this season, and it has not been too long since the two sides faced each other when Tampines would well to remember that the Young Lions were so close to getting a point of them then.

However, the defensive fragilities of Aide Iskandar’s side are well documented, with his youngsters prone to lapses in concentration which resulted in 30 goals being conceded so far.

As far as weaknesses are concerned, InStat has revealed that the Young Lions are most prone to conceding goals from set pieces (46%). As such, it is highly likely the towering Aleksandar Duric and Miljan Mrdakovic can utilise their height and aerial abilities to grab a vital goal.

Spectators can anticipate a very fluid game which will be decorated with good passing, as both sides are well-known for that.

According to InStat, the Cubs have had 78% of their passes turn out accurately while the Stags enjoyed 70% in their previous games.

Suspension: Ismadi Mukhtar (Tampines Rovers)

Key Men To Watch

Courts Young Lions: Sahil Suhaimi

The skipper’s return from suspension could not be more timely, as Sahil is Courts Young Lions’ current joint-top scorer with Jordan Webb, with the duo sharing four goals each.

His speed, trickery and pace is expected to trouble the Tampines defence, as centre-backs Abdul Qaiyyim and Mustafic Fahrudin would have to cope with the threat the youngster poses.

Tampines Rovers: Aleksandar Duric

The former national striker only has four goals to his name this season so far but that does not justifiably reflect on his performances.

Duric’s role this season has been slightly amended, as he is more of a ‘second striker’ who provides support to Miljan Mrdakovic.

That is exactly what the 44-year-old has been doing, as the disciplined marksman had all of his passes to the penalty box being successful in his last game.

Courts Young Lions – LDWLW

15/5/14    Balestier Khalsa 3-1 Courts Young Lions

7/5/14      Courts Young Lions 1-1 Home United

2/5/14      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

Tampines Rovers – DDDDL

18/5/14    Home United 2-2 Tampines Rovers

8/5/14      Tampines Rovers 3-3 Warriors FC

1/5/14      Tampines Rovers 1-1 Albirex Niigata (S)

25/4/14    Tanjong Pagar United 1-1 Tampines Rovers

22/4/14    Tampines Rovers 0-1 Nay Pyi Taw (AFC Cup)

Head to Head (S.League)

1/3/14      Tampines Rovers 3-2 Courts Young Lions

6/8/13      Courts Young Lions 2-4 Tampines Rovers

28/2/13    Tampines Rovers 3-0 Courts Young Lions

19/9/12    Courts Young Lions 0-3 Tampines Rovers

3/5/12      Tampines Rovers 2-1 Courts Young Lions

22/10/11  Tampines Rovers 4-1 Courts Young Lions

12/7/11    Courts Young Lions 0-1 Tampines Rovers

17/4/11    Tampines Rovers 1-0 Courts Young Lions