Garena Young Lions vs Warriors FC

(28 June, Wednesday, 7.30pm, Jalan Besar Stadium)

Written by: Shawn Lim

Teamwork will be key for the Garena Young Lions when they take on Warriors FC in the Great Eastern-Hyundai S.League at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Wednesday night.

Since taking over the reigns of the Young Lions in May, Richard Tardy has instilled in his young charges the importance of playing together as one and knowing the right timing when picking the right pass or holding the ball.

According to Young Lions forward Taufik Suparno, having the Frenchman as his coach for both club and country can only be a good thing.

“From the time I have spent with him, I know he does not like individualistic personalities,” the Singapore Under-22 international shared. “He demands that we focus more on teamwork and play together as a team.

“He wants players to be smart, to know where and when to hold the ball. As you can see, we have quite a number of young players, both at club and under-22 level.

“So it is not easy for him to instill his philosophy to everyone in a short span of time, but he is trying his best and we are learning.”

Part of that learning process has been a 8-0 loss to league leaders Albirex Niigata (S), but the Young Lions bounced back with a gritty 0-0 with Balestier Khalsa – a game Taufik believes they should have won.

“To me, we should have beaten Balestier because we were dominating most of the game,” Taufik reflected.

“They were playing with 10 men in the second-half, so we were not happy with the result. The positive thing is that at least we got a point, which is better than nothing.”

The Young Lions will be without the services of playmaker Hami Syahin through suspension, but will welcome back captain Shahrin Saberin who missed the game against the Tigers for the same reason.

Warriors meanwhile, will be keen to bounce back from their 1-0 loss to to Tampines Rovers the last time out. The Choa Chu Kang-based were good value for a draw until they conceded a late penalty.

Head Coach Razif Onn will be sweating over the fitness of winger Jordan Webb who has been carrying a knock and only played the final quarter of their defeat to the Stags.

New signing Andrei-Cosmin Ciolacu could be in line for a start after missing the last two games against Geylang International and Tampines and he could provide much-needed firepower upfront for the nine-time league champions.

Suspension: Hami Syahin (Garena Young Lions)

Garena Young Lions – LDLLD

22/06/17 Garena Young Lions 0-0 Balestier Khalsa

26/05/17 Albirex Niigata (S) 8-0 Garena Young Lions

21/05/17 Garena Young Lions 1-2 Home United

13/05/17 Garena Young Lions 0-0 Brunei DPMM

23/04/17 Tampines Rovers 1-0 Garena Young Lions

Warriors FC – LWLWL

22/06/17 Warriors FC 0-1 Tampines Rovers

16/06/17 Geylang International 0-2 Warriors FC

29/05/17 Warriors FC 1-4 Boeung Ket FC (CAM) (RHB Singapore Cup)

19/05/17 Warriors FC 1-0 Balestier Khalsa

11/05/17 Warriors FC 0-2 Hougang United

Head to Head (S.League)

08/04/17 Warriors FC 4-3 Garena Young Lions

26/08/16 Warriors FC 5-2 Garena Young Lions

12/05/16 Garena Young Lions 3-1 Warriors FC

04/03/16 Warriors FC 2-0 Garena Young Lions

16/10/15 Garena Young Lions 2-1 Warriors FC