Delwinder has been a strong performer for Warriors this season.

SINGAPORE, 14 SEP 2018 – A crucial match on Saturday, 15 September, awaits for both Warriors FC and Brunei DPMM FC with fourth spot in the Great Eastern-Hyundai Singapore Premier League at stake. Kick off is at 5.30pm at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium.

BACKGROUND Warriors are currently on a five-game unbeaten run in the SPL, a streak that has seen them climb up the league table following a disastrous start to the season.

Currently occupying fifth spot, they are in with a shout of finishing in the top four – the only problem is that DPMM currently sit in fourth with a three-point advantage and a game in hand.

This game also takes on more significance given that Warriors will also be facing the same team next week in the second leg of the Singapore Cup first round.

In the first leg, Warriors led 2-0 before allowing DPMM to come back and draw, prompting Warriors Head Coach Mirko Grabovac to express his dissatisfaction with how his side threw their lead away. It was also a mirror of how the match between both sides at the start of the season unfolded and defender Delwinder Singh has called for his side to avoid such slip-ups again.

“We will look at it positively and that since we were 2-0 up, why not go one further and capitalise on the mistakes they make and make it count?” he said.

“We also will be weary about the threats they possess and they’ll be capable of coming back, so we need to be tighter at the back as a team.”

Meanwhile, DPMM Head Coach Rene Weber warned that his charges will not be holding back in either game.

“We have two decisive games and it is our target to finish in the best position we can in the league, as well as advance in the Singapore Cup to take on Balestier (Khalsa) in the semi-final,” he said.

“We will need to play both games with the same concentration because we want to be third or even second in the league and our main target is to go all the way to the cup final.

“We know it will be difficult. Both teams know each other and it is a must for us to play with some strategy.”

TEAM NEWS
Warriors’ Poh Yi Feng is out of this fixture with a knee injury, while Firdaus Kasman is suspended.

DPMM will have a full squad available for selection. Iranian Mojtaba Mollasaraei missed their last match and it remains to be seen if he will be in Weber’s plans for this game.

FORM GUIDE
Warriors: WWWDD
DPMM: LDDWD

PREVIOUS MEETINGS
23/08/18: DPMM 2-2 Warriors – Singapore Cup
30/06/18: DPMM 2-1 Warriors – Singapore Premier League
02/05/18: Warriors 2-2 DPMM – Singapore Premier League
21/10/17: DPMM 3-2 Warriors – Singapore Premier League
18/07/17: DPMM 1-5 Warriors – League Cup

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR
Jonathan Behe – Warriors
The striker is undoubtedly the danger-man for Warriors, with 18 goals in all competitions. To put it in perspective, Ignatius Ang and Kento Fukuda, the next two players with the most number of goals on the team, have scored just thrice. The Frenchman also has a chance of overtaking Shuhei Hoshino in the Golden Boot race and that itself will be enough motivation for Behe.

Volodymyr Priyomov – DPMM
Priyomov sparked the comeback against Warriors in their last match on 23 August and will be relied upon once again, especially if Mollasaraei misses out once more. The DPMM striker has 14 goals in all competitions, five of which came in the past couple of months – signifying that the Ukranian is finding his groove once more as the season is coming to an end.

WHAT ELSE THEY SAID
Warriors defender Delwinder: “We want to overtake DPMM to go one spot further up in the table… We want the wins badly in all our remaining games, be it league or Cup… Everyone is hungry for it and wants to end the season on a high.”

DPMM Head Coach Weber: “We cannot always start to play only in the second half. We have to start strong. It happened in the previous game against Warriors, as well as in the game at the beginning of the season too. I want us to start strong, score first, take the game to them and see how they react.”

Get your tickets for ALL Singapore Premier League games at fas.org.sg/tickets! and watch Warriors play DPMM at fas.org.sg/live2!