April 2025

I feel like this season we’ve had a few high-pressure games already. I don’t have to rehash our journey and how we got here – maybe I’ll do that if we get to the final. But you know the games I am talking about. The thing about pressure is this – much like how a muscle that you train gets stronger and stronger, I think your brain starts getting used to pressure until it becomes the baseline. What used to be a high-pressure situation, is now just normal-pressure. What used to be normal-pressure, is now no-pressure. You get the drift. I think the players now are used to such high-pressure situations. And this is our biggest game of the season (so far). Holding a 2-0 lead and having to defend it in Sydney will not be easy. But in the wise words of Linying – we did it before, and we’ll do it again. Let’s jump right into the preview. The First Leg Result Could Have Been Very Different Our defence held very firm in the first leg, and Izwan only had 2 shots to deal with. However, you may remember that when Segecic came on, he had 2 shots that really, on another day, could have gone in. One whizzed past the post, while the other was denied by a great block from Bailey Wright. There are only so many things you can control on any given matchday, and while you can work on minimising chances, it’s sometimes hard to control whether your opponents are clinical. Sydney FC themselves may feel hard done by, because they limited us to 3 shots on target, and frankly the only one that was a good chance, was well-saved by their keeper. Bart Ramselaar’s goal is one for the ages, while Lennart Thy’s goal was also struck from a very improbable angle. On another day, Bart hits the bar, Lennart hits the post, and we’re looking at a very different equation. All that waffle isn’t to say that Sydney FC is definitely gonna beat us. Essentially all I did, was to tell you that football is a high-variance sport – the better team doesn’t always win. I am just saying that I am not getting carried away just yet, and I think tomorrow is gonna be a super tough game. Douglas Costa Fully Rested Sydney FC faced top-of-the-table Auckland FC at the weekend and drew 2-2 (with Segecic scoring both goals), but there were 2 notable absentees – Douglas Costa and Patryk Klimala. There are some murmurs that Klimala has an injury, but Douglas Costa being left out shows you that Sydney FC have really prioritised tomorrow night’s game. They took a huge risk in doing so – had they lost that game, the sides below them would have been able to catch them out. Klimala has 6 goals and 3 assists in the ACL2 and is one of the undoubted dangermen. Our defence gave him very little space in the first leg, but it won’t be as easy in the slightly wider pitch in Sydney. Also, I don’t like the word “niggle” in the tweet above. I want something a little more concrete. A niggle sounds like he stepped on a Lego brick and his toe is a little swollen for a couple of days. Would have been nice if it was something like more concrete, like “Patryk Klimala misses out with a bout of chicken pox” – now that would be great cos it would mean he definitely wouldn’t be playing. I expect this “niggle” was nothing more than Sydney FC resting him for what is a very important match. Douglas Costa was invisible at Jalan Besar. After the game, I made the joke to a few friends, that Sydney FC would have played better if Douglas Costa was on the pitch. Jokes aside, he is obviously still a world-class player, and we will need to be very wary of him. Park the Bus? Parking the bus sounds like the logical thing to do, when you are 2-0 up away from home, but it won’t be easy to do that. Sydney FC have shown their weaknesses at the back, but they are joint-2nd in the A-League when it comes to goals scored. If you defend a bit too deep, you invite the likes of Douglas Costa, Adrian Segecic, Patryk Klimala, and Joe Lolley to take shots from range. They are all adept at doing that, so if we do that, we risk getting caught out. Adrian Segecic scored from here at the weekend. And because that wasn’t challenging enough for him, 20 minutes later he scored from out here. Both times, the ball rocketed into the top corner. Park the bus at your own peril. I think the key to tomorrow’s game is of course to defend well, but we must also carry a threat up top. Our ACL2 campaign has seen us achieve some crazy results, but they’ve always featured goals. It’s not been a campaign where we ground out results from sitting deep and forcing 0-0 results. As much as I fear Klimala, Segecic, Costa, I think they will also fear Shawal, Lennart, Maxime, Bart and Song. These players have stepped up for us at different points in our campaign so far, and tomorrow we will look to them for inspiration again. Hopefully, Coach Ranko sets us up in a way that allows their attacking talents to shine as well. Conditions Our previous away trips to colder climates have seen us really struggle. Jeonbuk we lost 3-0, Sanfrecce Hiroshima we lost 6-1, and Zhejiang we lost 4-2. Of course, the quality of the teams is also a factor – it is not just the weather. However, you can’t help feel that perhaps there are two factors when it comes to colder weather. We will see Sydney’s physicality come through a bit more tomorrow night, but hey we have a 2-0 lead. Hopefully we have a solid plan to

First – in case you’re wondering, nope, I did not forget to write a post-match thoughts article to recap Wednesday night’s fantastic game and atmosphere. Given the rushed schedule I faced over the last few days – preparing for a new episode of the Kicking & Screaming podcast, editing the videos for upload on SailorFanTalk’s social media pages, and of course my full-time day job), a hurriedly-prepared article wouldn’t do justice to such a momentous night. The intention is to come back years later and read these post-match thoughts articles to really soak it all in once again. All the emotions, all the feelings, all the thoughts. And so that brings us to a first on SFT, where the preview of the next game is published before the post-match thoughts article for the prior game. The title says it all really, we should rotate, but it should still prove to be no obstacle for us to record three points at home, and push us that bit closer to our SPL title. Let’s go. No Miguel Oliveira Miguel Oliveira is DPMM’s Maxime Lestienne. He’s got 9 goals and 5 assists this season. That’s 14 goal contributions, and DPMM have only scored 37 goals. And he is suspended, wheee! We’ve put together a little table above that isn’t meant to be exhaustive. I’ve just taken some of the big-hitters from other clubs and plonked their names in there so you get a little context. Basically, this is a huge loss for DPMM, especially because they are already so goal-shy, and Hakeme Yazid looks unlikely to play in this game as well due to his rumoured suspension. Since that ill-fated trip to Russia, Hakeme has only featured once. It seems he isn’t allowed to travel out of Brunei, and since most of their games are away from home because their stadium is apparently allergic to football, he hasn’t been playing much as well. Davis Ikaunieks has 7 goals from 11 games (league and cup), and seems to have overcome a slightly slow start to life in Brunei. However, without Miguel Oliveira on the pitch, I fancy our defenders to be able to deal with anything they throw at us. Also, credit to the SPL for their timely preview article, from which I gathered that Miguel Oliveira would be suspended for tomorrow’s game. We may still not have a topscorers list or any other stats, but this is a good start. Please put up a yellow and red cards table too next season so fans and content creators can keep up to date! Rotation Ahead of the Sydney FC Game in Midweek As supporters, we want to rest everyone who played against Sydney in midweek. We know that we can afford to lose this game, we know that we really don’t want to see anyone come off injured. However, time and again, we’ve seen that generally isn’t what Coach Ranko likes to do, except when it was against Tampines Rovers earlier this season. We had just been pumped 5-0 by Cong An Ha Noi, and were going up against the other team to pump us 5-0 this season, BG Tampines Rovers. Sure, the gap between both games was only 3 days, but surely no one expected this amount of rotation – Of course, seeing how Coach Ranko rotates the team now, I think it’s more likely that this lineup was to punish those who played so poorly in Vietnam, or at least send a message to them. Coach Ranko may also look ahead to beyond the Sydney game to realise that we have another 6 days after to rest and recharge before we face DPMM again. Coach Ranko may also think about how good our Sailors looked on Wednesday, and how much of it was due to the commanding nature of the 8-0 win in the league prior to that. I can’t quite say what Coach Ranko will do, but given the form of Lennart Thy, Bart Ramselaar, and our defence, I’d be tempted to keep them off the pitch to ensure they are fit for the upcoming game. Sydney FC Have a Big Game of Their Own While we take on DPMM, Sydney FC also have a game this weekend, and it’s a big one. Auckland FC are their opponents who are top of the pile looking comfortable. Sydney FC are in the top 6 spots, which are crucial, because only the top 6 teams in the A-League regular season go on to play the finals series. For that to happen, Sydney FC must fend off the challenge of Adelaide United and Macarthur FC (former home of Sailors legend Valere Germain). Sydney FC absolutely cannot afford to rest players for this game, so that’s advantage for us ahead of Wednesday. Let’s hope for a 2-1 loss right at the death, with both Auckland goals coming in the 90+ minutes, and in the fury that ensues after, 12 players end up getting involved in a fight that results in minor injuries, just major enough to stop them from playing on Wednesday. Conclusion It’s likely to be another slightly low-key affair tomorrow night at Bishan Stadium, but of course, what could possibly compare to the emotions and highs of Wednesday? Let’s hope we see some fresh legs come in to help us keep our lead at the top comfortable. COME ON YOU BOYS IN BLUE! My predicted line-up Izwan Mahbud Akram Azman, Lionel Tan, Bailey Wright, Toni Datkovic, Sergio Carmona Hami Syahin, Song Ui-Young Shawal Anuar, Abdul Rasaq, Maxime Lestienne Score Prediction Joseph and I predict the scores and track our success in a table. Stay tuned to find out who is the prediction king! Eddy’s prediction: Sailors 4 DPMM 0 Joseph’s prediction: Sailors 4 DPMM 1 Written by Eddy Hirono  Picture credit – Lion City Sailors If you’d like to support the work we do here at SailorFanTalk, you may want to visit https://ko-fi.com/sailorfantalk and leave us a tip!

Ok – the title wasn’t just because I had to let out a Dad joke that’s been brewing in my mind for a couple of days. I think a legitimate point can be made about the order in which you play your home and away legs having a great impact on strategy. When you play your first leg away in the absence of the away goals rule, it really suits the Sailors’ game. We can afford to be a bit more conservative, and wait for our opponents to make the first move. I think many of us would describe the Sailors as a team that thrives on transitions, and so if we had the first leg in Sydney, we could have perhaps taken advantage of space left on the counter-attack. We could also just try to remain solid throughout, knowing that if we survive with a draw in the away leg, we have a good chance of getting the goals at Jalan Besar. It’s a huge game in the club’s history, and I can’t wait for it to get started. But first, as is customary, the lowdown from Joseph Chin. The Lowdown on Sydney FC (By Joseph Chin) Origin The Sky Blues were founded in 2004 as part of an ambitious project by the Australian football authorities to introduce a unified professional football league. Previously, it was a mixture of several semi-professional state-level competitions. They are 5-time league winners and had also won the 2005 Oceanian Champions League (before Australian clubs came under the banner of AFC). Uniquely, this means they are actually the only city in the world to achieve two continental titles from DIFFERENT continents – Sydney’s 2005 OCL win, plus Western Sydney Wanderer’s 2014 win in the ACL. Sydney FC will hope to go all the way, which will then make Sydney the only city to have won both the ACL and ACL2 trophies. Legends Dwight Yorke – their first ever marquee signing. The former Manchester United striker of the noughties made waves as a huge signing for the A-League at the time, and scored 7 goals in 22 appearances, including being named the Player of the Match in the A-League Grand Final. Alessandro del Piero – World Cup winner and Juventus legend who made his mark in Sydney FC history as well. 24 goals in 48 appearances endeared him to the fans and meant that even though he became the A-League’s highest-paid player in history when he made his move from Juve at the grand old age of 38, he was seen as having a positive impact on the A-League. Bernie Ibini – A cult hero for both Sydney teams, unfortunately it never quite happened with us, as he left us with zero goals after 8 appearances. Signed as a mid-season emergency replacement after Kodai Tanaka was injured against Albirex, Bernie’s failure to get goals instead paved the way for Abdul Rasaq’s breakthrough season. The Man in the Hot Seat Ufuk Talay is one of only two former Sydney FC players to have been both player and manager. The native Sydneysider of Turkish descent enjoyed a decent playing career, both in his adopted and ancestral homelands before returning home to great success at Sydney. As part of the pioneer batch of players in the A-League, the former Galatasaray midfielder’s experience in key moments of their history (winning the 05/06 Grand Final and debuting in the 2007 Champions League) will be crucial for their chances as they seek to write new chapters in their history in their 20th anniversary year. Of course, we will also be hoping to help them write a negative chapter in their history tonight. Ones to Watch The Big Boss – Douglas Costa: Probably the biggest name player to pitch up in the Eastern side of the ACL2 draw. Having won 3 Bundesliga and 3 Serie A titles, as well as the Club World Cup, the tricky winger is one to watch in his globetrotting career that also included stops in Brazil (Gremio and Fluminense) and LA Galaxy. Captain – Rhyan Grant: Runaway record appearance holder for Sydney FC, cementing his legendary status and captaincy with his 311 appearances for his sole senior club after graduating from the prestigious Australian Institute of Sport in 2008 (kinda like our Sports School). Not related to the other Grant in defence, Alex Grant. Hotshot – Patryk Klimala: The Legia Warsaw youth product has had quite a journeyman career spanning 3 continents at the age of 26. A decent young striker with Celtic and NY Red Bulls in the pandemic years, the Polish age-group international has finally found his best form in Australia. In the ACL2, he has 6 goals so far, 1 behind our very own Shawal Anuar (or 2 if you count his goal against Sanfrecce Hiroshima). Man Between the Posts – Harrison Devenish-Meares: Remarkably, he dislodged long-time stalwart and Australian international goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne from the starting XI this season. All the more impressive when you consider that he has taken an unconventional route to professional football, featuring in US college soccer, and a youth stint at Romanian club Rapid Bucharest. Sydney FC is his hometown club and he sometimes defends the goal like his life depends on it. English Leagues – Joe Lolley: Joe briefly featured for Huddersfield Town when they were up in the Premier League but will be known more in England for his long stint with Nottingham Forest when they were a Championship club. He scored 24 times for them in 159 appearances. This season he has 9 goals and 7 assists in 20 A-League matches. He will be one to keep an eye on. Young and Dangerous – Adrian Segecic: Segecic is the crown jewel of the Sydney youth talent pipeline. The Australia youth international has used his sole season in the Netherlands (with 2nd division Dordrecht) to hone his attacking instincts on the wings, prior to his breakthrough season this year. 10 goals and 2 assists in

On paper, this is a no-brainer – comfortable Lion City Sailors win. It’s top v second-bottom team in the league. What could go wrong? Let’s dive right into some quick thoughts on why Young Lions shouldn’t be underestimated, and also why we might not have it all our way tonight. Young Lions Picking Up Form While YL’s position looks bad, a closer inspection of the table shows that they are actually right on the tail of DPMM and Hougang United, especially if you take into account their game in hand. Impressively, even after losing top-scorer Itsuki Enomoto to BG Tampines in the transfer window, they seem to have picked up some positive results in 2025. Many people, myself included, predicted that they would fall away, but the stats paint a different picture. The stats would suggest that the team has more than made up for Enomoto’s absence, with the goals coming from other sources. They have also posted impressive results in the Singapore Cup, such as a 3-0 win over Hougang United, and a 7-1 hammering of Albirex Niigata (S). In the end. they narrowly missed out on qualification for the knockout stages. They are no pushovers now. Mindset Heading into the Game This is something I’ve talked about at length before. It’s been a very long season, and when we talk about the daily grind, I think the grind for the players is grindier than it’s ever been. Especially with a huge tie against Sydney FC on the horizon, I don’t think we can blame the players for feeling like these league games are a bit of a hindrance – something to get it over and done with as soon as possible. Will the players go in a little less hard, fearing that any sort of injury now is potentially a season-ending one? Will they want to exert less energy, saving themselves for the game against Sydney on Wednesday? Will Coach Ranko rotate with Wednesday in mind? So many variables, and of course, no real way of finding out. While we have a comfortable lead in the league, BG Tampines has been plugging away and the gap is now down to 4 points (though we have 2 games in hand). There is room to drop points, but losing would perhaps give BG Tampines some hope that they can claw their way back into the title race. The Return of Bill Mamadou Bill Mamadou went out to Young Lions in February to get more game time, and that’s a move that can only be beneficial for him. His development was stalling in the Sailors where he found minutes hard to come by. Since he’s joined the Young Lions, he has looked confident, and will be pumped up to deliver against his parent club today, to prove any doubters wrong. Let’s hope he doesn’t cause too much trouble for our forwards! Maxime Lestienne It’s not that we need Max for this game, but fans have been eager to know if he is going to be available for the Sydney game. Well, I don’t have any insider info on this, but I am guessing not based on his Instastories – Not sure if any dog in Singapore would need to wear such thick clothing. This suggests he could be back home in Belgium, recuperating from his injury. It looked like a dislocated elbow, and healing times for those can range from a few weeks to a couple of months. I don’t think we will see him on the pitch or even on the bench tonight, but fingers crossed he’s back for the Sydney game in some capacity. Conclusion Short preview for a game where everyone on and off the pitch will be thinking ahead to the Sydney FC game. Hopefully it’s not too much of a distraction that our players end up dropping points. COME ON YOU BOYS IN BLUE! My predicted line-up Izwan Mahbud Chris van Huizen, Lionel Tan, Bailey Wright, Toni Datkovic, Diogo Costa Hami Syahin, Song Ui-Young Obren Kljajic, Lennart Thy, Bart Ramselaar Score Prediction Joseph and I predict the scores and track our success in a table. Stay tuned to find out who is the prediction king! Eddy’s prediction: Young Lions 0 Sailors 2 Joseph’s prediction: Young Lions 0 Sailors 5 Written by Eddy Hirono If you’d like to support the work we do here at SailorFanTalk, you may want to visit https://ko-fi.com/sailorfantalk and leave us a tip!