As Singapore gears up for a crunch double header against India in their AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign, with a home tie on Oct 9 (Thurs), captain Hariss Harun will be leaning on previous experience playing against the Blue Tigers.
Having faced India in a 1-1 draw during the 2022 Hung Thinh friendly tournament, Lion City Sailors midfielder Hariss Harun knows all too well the Blue Tigers’ workmanlike, physical style of play.
“They are always hard running, physical, and direct. Technically, they are quite decent, and they never give up,” Hariss said. “But there’s no lack of that in our team as well. And we also have technical players on our side… There’s a lot we have been working on in the past few international windows.”
The players will also be taking lessons from September’s friendlies, where they narrowly lost to Malaysia 2-1 and drew with Myanmar 1-1 in a closed-door clash.
“We did really well to bring the ball higher up the pitch, but that’s where we have to be a bit more calm and try to convert our opportunities and chances into goals. We have been working really intensely during training, especially our attackers, and hopefully we can get the goals and the points for these games,” Hariss said, having observed those matches on the sidelines while nursing a hamstring injury.
Frontman Ikhsan Fandi, who scored Singapore’s only goal against India three years ago, will be looking to recreate that moment at the National Stadium on Thursday.
Having already netted one of the Republic’s two goals in this qualifying campaign, the Ratchaburi striker is set to be the key outlet for the hosts against the 134th-ranked Blue Tigers, who have competed at the Asian Cup five times (1964, 1984, 2011, 2019, 2023).
With three starts in five appearances across the Thai League and the AFC Champions League Two since the September international window, Ikhsan has built valuable match fitness ahead of the clash.
“Playing regularly definitely helps my rhythm, consistency, and, most importantly, match fitness. I’ve had a few games under my belt and played a bit more, so I’m feeling good. It’s always positive for me to be part of the national team. I love being here and will give everything when called upon,” Ikhsan said.
Interim head coach Gavin Lee will also be leading the Lions in the qualifying campaign for the first time, continuing on predecessor Tsutomu Ogura’s success in Dhaka back in June.
Having assisted the Japanese back then, Lee has been a familiar face within the national setup and Ikhsan is hopeful that the familiarity will work in their favour.
“The players are very familiar with Gavin and his style of coaching. We just have to listen to his plan, be disciplined and be coachable. We will try to execute what he has planned for us.”
Likewise, India has also undergone a coaching change, with Khalid Jamil taking over the reins in August after Spaniard Manolo Marquez’s departure in July.
But the Indian tactician has made an instant impact in August’s Central Asian Football Association Nations Cup after the national team endured a woeful year-long stint under Marquez that saw them win just one of eight matches.
Joining the national setup from Indian Super League outfit Jamshedpur, Khalid guided his newly-inherited squad to an improbable third in the eight-team competition despite being the third-lowest-ranked team.
Fortunately for Singapore, the Blue Tigers were largely happy to cede possession in all four Nations Cup matches, relying on absorbing pressure and targeting set pieces to create chances.
“Our playstyle will depend on the situation. If it’s a set piece, we need to capitalise on it. We need to be good on defence and offence. This is an important game and we’re playing away, so we have to be very careful. Singapore have a good coach and quality players, so we definitely can’t take this match lightly,” Khalid said.
The Lions are keenly aware of their opponent’s “distinct style of play” and will do well to navigate this in the back-to-back games.
“It’s about how we approach the game, how we want to go about neutralising what they can do and how we can hurt them,” Hariss said. “There are points to be played for, we know how crucial it is. Getting the six points will be the best-case scenario, but the home game is very, very crucial.”
The Lions will travel to Goa for the return fixture next Tuesday (Oct 14).
