Albirex Niigata FC (S) captain Wataru Murofushi has made a good start to life in the SPL.

SINGAPORE, 12 APRIL 2018 – Albirex Niigata FC (S) will be chasing a 28th straight win at Jurong East Stadium when they entertain Brunei DPMM FC in the Great Eastern-Hyundai-Singapore Premier League (SPL) on Saturday evening, April 14. Kick off is at 5.30pm.

BACKGROUND Both teams have gotten off to winning starts in the 2018 campaign and are set to go into the game  to outline their title credentials.

After two games played, Albirex lead the standings ahead of Young Lions on goal difference while DPMM overcame Home United FC 4-2 at home in their only match played so far to sit in third.

Foreign attackers Volodomyr Priyomov and Mojtaba Mollasaraei opened their accounts for the Wasps, with the former netting a brace and the Albirex defence will have their hands full trying to keep them quiet.

Team-mates Azwan Saleh was pleased with their contributions and believe more can be expected from them.

“They have helped the team improve in many ways and I’m very sure both have similar aims, which is to score as many goals as possible for our team,” said the DPMM Vice-Captain.

“It’s still early days but I truly believe they will make an excellent impact to the team. That is what we are expecting from them too.”

Apart from a formidable home record, the White Swans – led by Kazuaki Yoshinaga – are also on an unbeaten streak that stretches all the way back to July 2017.

DPMM have lost to Albirex in their past three meetings and that should be enough motivation for them to set things straight.

TEAM NEWS DPMM coach Rene Weber could be without centre-back Brian McLean, who limped off in their win against the Protectors, while Albirex have a clean bill of health. There are no suspensions for either side.

FORM GUIDE
Albirex: WWWWW
DPMM: WLLWW

PREVIOUS MEETINGS
16/09/17: DPMM 0-1 Albirex – Singapore Premier League
16/06/17: Albirex 4-0 DPMM – Singapore Premier League
09/03/17: Albirex 2-0 DPMM – Singapore Premier League
05/08/16: DPMM 2-1 Albirex – Singapore Premier League
30/07/16: DPMM 0-2 Albirex – League Cup

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR
Wataru Murofushi – Albirex
Judging from his displays in Albirex’s first two games, it does look like the White Swans have found a capable replacement for former skipper Shuto Inaba.

The White Swans Captain and midfield general has kept things tidy in the middle of the park and turned in commanding performances to help his team pick up two straight wins in as many games.

Volodymyr Priyomov – DPMM
The Ukrainian forward marked an impressive debut for DPMM against Home with two goals, including a well-taken free-kick that gave the goalkeeper no chance.

Possessing an eye for goal, the former Shakhtar Donetsk man will have to be kept on a tight leash if Albirex are to stand a chance of getting something out of this game.

WHAT ELSE THEY SAID
Albirex goalkeeper Yosuke Nozawa: “We tend not to be too concerned about the (unbeaten) record; we’ll keep ourselves focused for the match instead. We will give a good fight and I’m confident we will play well in front of our home fans.

“Since we don’t know much about DPMM, the important thing is to prepare ourselves for the match. Honestly, we won’t know if we will win until we play the game because we are still learning and improving as a team game by game.”

DPMM midfielder Azwan Saleh: “Of course we are happy after beating Home in front of our fans and it was also good to pick up our first win against them in a while.

“To me, all games are important and our first away game against the defending champions Albirex will definitely be a tough game for us. I believe we can (end their winning run at home), as long as we keep up our excellent performances just like in our last game.”

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