Tampines Rovers vs Brunei DPMM

(October 31, Friday, 7.30pm, Jalan Besar Stadium)

Written by: Kenneth Ho

By Friday evening, 31 October, the Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League champions will have been decided, but defending champions Tampines Rovers will have a huge say in where the trophy goes when they take on Brunei DPMM.

It is perhaps apt, that the Stags will be facing off against the current league leaders, who are level on points with Warriors FC, but with a vastly superior goal difference.

Things are in the Wasps’ hands, and they only require a win to ensure that they secure their first ever S.League title.

However, for the past three years the league has always been Tampines’ turf. It will be absurd to imagine the Stags not giving anything but 110%, as they concede the crown they have been holding. As such, DPMM should not expect any favours.

Steve Kean’s task to bring home the S.League title back to Brunei will not be made any easier with three suspensions his side has. Roy O’Donovan, Azwan Ali and Abdul Aziz Tamit will all be missing out on the final game.

In particular, O’Donovan and Azwan’s presence will be sorely felt. The former has such a huge presence upfront while Azwan’s crosses are so deadly accurate that the Stags should be heaving a sigh of relief they will not have to deal with the duo.

However Kean insisted this will not be an issue for his side, as they had coped with injuries and suspensions all season.

“The thing is that we’ve changed our shape a few times this year, but what we are trying to do is to maintain the chances we create,” Kean said.

“Regardless of the formation we play, we always create chances and whatever shape we play, it’s just not only to go out and hang on but to try take the game to Tampines and get goals.”

For the Stags, this particular game will also mean a lot to one player: Aleksandar Duric. The evergreen striker has finally confirmed he will be hanging up his boots after this season, and this will be his last S.League game ever.

Duric is known to be a big match player, and even though he has not scored as much as he would have liked this season, there is no doubting his ability to pop up with a farewell goal. Should he feature, expect the naturalised Singaporean to give DPMM a tough time

Suspensions: Kunihiro Yamashita (Tampines Rovers), Azwan Ali (DPMM), Roy O’Donovan (DPMM), Abdul Aziz Tamit (DPMM)

Key Men To Watch

Tampines Rovers: Shahdan Sulaiman

If the Stags want to claim a result here, Shahdan will be a key player in this fixture. A tough tackler and excellent playmaker, the midfielder will be tasked to control the midfield in order to ensure the Stags dictate the tempo of the game.

Brunei DPMM:  Rodrigo Tosi

By far one of the best players in the league this season, the forward has popped with the goods when his side are struggling to make much inroads.

The footballer is not only good with the ball at his feet, but he too is a menace in the air. Tampines will need to keep him quiet  if they want to walk away from this match with a clean sheet.

Tampines Rovers – LWWLW

23/10/14  Warriors FC 2-1 Tampines Rovers

18/10/14  Tampines Rovers 3-1 Balestier Khalsa

2/10/14    Home United 0-1 Tampines Rovers

25/9/14    Balestier Khalsa (4P) 1-0 (1) Tampines Rovers (RHB Singapore Cup SF 2nd Leg 2-2 on aggregate)

22/9/14    Tampines Rovers 2-1 Balestier Khalsa (RHB Singapore Cup SF 1st Leg)

Brunei DPMM – WDLLD

28/10/14  Albirex Niigata (S) 0-1 Brunei DPMM

25/10/14  Brunei DPMM 1-1 Balestier Khalsa

7/10/14    Brunei DPMM 2-3 Warriors FC

26/9/14    Brunei DPMM 2-3 Home United (RHB Singapore Cup 2nd Leg; 3-4 on aggregate)

23/9/14    Home United 1-1 Brunei DPMM (RHB Singapore Cup SF 1st Leg)

Head to Head (S.League)

10/6/14    Tampines Rovers 2-1 Brunei DPMM

23/3/14    Brunei DPMM 1-2 Tampines Rovers

25/8/13    Brunei DPMM 2-6 Tampines Rovers

16/4/13    Tampines Rovers 1-1 Brunei DPMM

15/6/12    Tampines Rovers 1-0 Brunei DPMM

12/2/12    Brunei DPMM 2-2 Tampines Rovers