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
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