Tanjong Pagar United vs Hougang United

(May 26, Monday, 7.30pm, Queenstown Stadium)

Written by: Muhammad Yazid

The Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League takes a short break and gives way to the curtain-raiser of the RHB Singapore Cup, as Tanjong Pagar United take on Hougang United in game one at the Queenstown Stadium.

Cup tournaments are something teams away from the top of the table look forward to, as triumphing in such tournaments will present them with chance of silverware.

That should exactly be how these two teams are looking at the Singapore Cup as they hope to leave the league aside for the moment and start afresh for the Cup.

Although Hougang is currently four spots above Tanjong Pagar in the league table, it is an all new story when it comes to Cup competition.

The Jaguars are the ones favourite on paper, taking into account their record in this campaign.

They were the inaugural winners of the Singapore Cup in 1998 and just last season, they claimed the runner-up spot.

Hougang United on the other hand do not hold much of a reputable record in this competition as their best ever finish was in 2002 when they were known as Sengkang Marine, as they came in fourth.

The first time these two sides met in the league this season, Hougang fell 2-1 to the Jaguars but their second meeting proved that they cannot be separated, as they settled for a 1-1 draw.

Thus, it is never going to be easy for both sides to try and outwit one another given their similar quality.

With the likes of Diego Gama and Geison Moura expected to torment the Tanjong Pagar defence, it would not be a different story at the other end of the pitch.

Monsef Zerka and Kamel Ramdani will be keen in creating confusion for the Hougang defenders with their telepathic understanding and chemistry, while Ahmad Latiff and Sebastian Etiemble will be pulling the strings in midfield to stop their opponents from spraying passes around and creating effective counter-attacks.

Just as how these two teams are evenly tied, expect a tight score-line or even a draw which will result to additional time and penalty kicks.

Tanjong Pagar United – DLLDD

21/5/14    Hougang United 1-1 Tanjong Pagar United

16/5/14    Tanjong Pagar United 1-2 Harimau Muda

9/5/14      Brunei DPMM 4-0 Tanjong Pagar United

1/5/14      Geylang International 1-1 Tanjong Pagar United

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

Hougang United – DDWLW

21/5/14    Hougang United 1-1 Tanjong Pagar United

15/5/14    Woodlands Wellington 1-1 Hougang United

9/5/14      Hougang United 2-1 Balestier Khalsa

2/5/14      Hougang United 0-3 Courts Young Lions

24/4/14    Harimau Muda 3-4 Hougang United