Tampines Rovers host Vietnam's Hanoi FC in their AFC Cup Group G clash at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore on Tuesday.
The Stags, who started their continental campaign with a win over Causeway rivals Felda United, have been struggling with back-to-back losses to Ceres Negros FC and Hanoi in their last two clashes. Nothing less than a win tomorrow can rekindle their hopes of making it past the group stages as they are sitting third, two points behind leaders.
On the other hand, Hanoi will be confident as they crushed Tampines 4-0 in their earlier fixture last month.
Tampines cannot afford to lose another match in their campaign as only the winner of the group and the second best-placed team from the Asean zone will progress to the next round.
Defensive discipline has been the biggest concern for the S.League giants despite having Singapore internationals Madhu Mohana and Daniel Bennett at the heart of their defence. It will be interesting to see if Raab continues with the duo as they have only recently returned from international duty.
Striker Khairul Amri also picked up an injury during Singapore's Asian Cup Qualifiers against Bahrain and missed their 1-0 league defeat to Warriors FC on Saturday. In his absence, the team would want their imports Son Yong Chan and Ivan Dzoni to step up and deliver. They will also be under huge pressure as the Tampines have not scored in their last two AFC Cup clashes.
Hanoi, on the other hand, have stitched a nine-match unbeaten streak (all competitions) and they have not lost a match in the continental campaign so far. The V League toppers will be eyeing another complete performance against the Stags to assert their dominance in the Asean group.
TV Schedule
China: Star Sports 2
Hong Kong: Fox Sports
Malaysia: Fox Sports
Philippines: Fox Sports
Vietnam: Fox Sports
Team News
Tampines
Possible XI: Mahbud; Taha, Madhu, Fahruddin, Shah; Megumi, Ayob, Son, Sahib, Sulaiman; Dzoni
Hanoi
Possible XI: Van Cong; Ngoc Duc, Thang Chung, Duy Manh, Van Kien; Van Quyet, Oloya, Quang Hai, Arnaud, Hung Dung; Marronkle
