Tampines Rovers take on league leaders Albirex Niigata in the ninth matchday of 2017 S.League season at the Jurong West Stadium on Sunday.
Having beaten Home United 3-2 last week to end the Protectors' unbeaten streak, the Stags will be motivated to do the same to league leaders Albirex Niigata, who have not faced a loss yet this season.
On the other hand, Kazuaki Yoshinaga's men are heading into today's tie on the back of a 10-day break following their 1-0 win over Geylang International.
After being inconsistent in the initial stages of the league, Tampines have bounced back to stitch a four-match winning streak, which has seen them vault to the second place on the table behind Albirex.
Khairul Amri's return to the starting line-up after a brief injury layoff has helped the team. Also, Coach Juergen Raab will be happy with the way wingers Yasir Hanapi and Ryarto Megumi have been consistently performing for the team.
However, the Tampines' front line will face one of their biggest tests today against Albirex, who have the best defensive record as they have conceded only five goals this season. Yasutaka Yanagi and Takuya Akiyama have been disciplined at the back, making it difficult for opposition teams to get past them.
Meanwhile, skipper Madhu Mohana is in doubt for today's clash as well as he is yet to reach full fitness after returning from injury. In his absence, the Daniel Bennett-led defensive unit has to be at its best to stop the likes of Tsubasa Sano and Ryota Nakai, who have scored 12 of the 21 goals of the team this season.
Team News
Tampines Rovers
Possible XI: Sim; Hamzah, Bennett, Mustafic, Mukhtar; Hanapi, Sulaiman, Son, Ayob, Megumi; Amri
Albirex Niigata
Possible XI: Akiyama, Tanaka, Inaba, Nakai, Kamata, Sano, Nagasaki, Sakamoto, Yanagi, Matoda, Nazawa
