After being awarded byes into the Cup semi finals based on ‘sporting merit’, there was never any doubt that the Singapore Cup Final was going to be between the 2 biggest clubs in Singapore.
Tampines will be looking to ride the momentum from their near-perfect record in the ACL2 and Shopee Cup, while the Sailors can accept nothing less than a trophy in their hands this Saturday night after getting knocked out of the ACL2 group stage last month.
Form
Both teams are heading into this cup final on the back of a decent run of results, with the Sailors unbeaten in 6 (scoring 14 and conceding 7 during this run), with the last loss more than 2 months ago on 6th November to Bangkok United, which eventually proved to be the result that knocked us out of the ACL2.
Tampines meanwhile fell to their only defeat in the last 10 games during the semi-final 2nd leg against Albirex, when they were already 4-0 up from the first leg. They averaged 2.4 goals scored per game during this period, which included the famous victory against Pohang Steelers at Bishan and the draw during the reverse fixture in Pohang.
Tampines’ Signings
Tampines have announced a number of new additions to their squad in the past week, including 3 young signings in Ong Yu En, Raoul Suhaimi, and Rae Peh from Young Lions, though none of them are expected to walk straight into the starting lineup.
The big announcement that would have caught everyone’s attention though, was the addition of Japanese midfielder Yuki Kobayashi.
On paper, Kobayashi is a signing from the 4th tier of Japanese football, the typical level from which we SPL clubs generally scout their Japanese players. However, if we go a little further back, Kobayashi actually arrives with an impressive resume (and equally impressive tattoos), as a former Japanese international with 8 caps to his name, as well as spells in the Eredevisie, J league, and K league, last featuring for J1 side Consadole Sapporo as recently as 2024.
You don’t pick up a handful of caps for Japan by accident, and Kobayashi will surely be a quality addition looking to hit the ground running is his first game in Tampines colors. In his first interview for Tampines, he acknowledged the pressure that comes with joining a new team, and will be looking to ‘score as soon as possible’ to take some of that pressure off.
If you can’t beat them, sign them
The signing of Luka Adzic from the team that has been giving us nightmares appears to be an opportunistic move, with the Serbian winger arriving at the Sailors without much fanfare after a mutual agreement to part ways with Bangkok United.
Given his profile as a European winger with Eredivisie experience, as well as the timing of his arrival, there will inevitably be comparisons with our Belgian club legend. Luka will surely be eager to ditch the label of ‘Maxime’s replacement’ and establish himself as a great attacker in his own right, and perhaps even earn a contract extension beyond the initial 6 months. Much like Yuki Kobayashi, Luka will be looking to win silverware in the first competitive game at his new club.
If rumors are to be believed, Luka Adzic will not be the only player to swap a red and black shirt for the blue and white this January. Incredibly exciting news if true, since there are very few quality local players that don’t already play for Sailors at this point, and Kyoga is one of them.
Conclusion
After such a dominant season in 2024/25, winning the Singapore Cup and the SPL was always going to be the bare minimum for this Sailors team. I still remember the emotions at the final whistle during the last Singapore Cup final, it was a feeling of relief, rather than joy.
Unfortunately, we are up against a Tampines side that has put together an excellent team this season, with a perfect blend of youth and experience, and they will be hoping that their unstoppable form in continental competitions will translate into results in domestic fixtures as well.
This Cup final is very much about getting the job done, and it is definitely going to be a close one.
Written by Chin Heng
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