WARRIORS AIM TO START TITLE DEFENCE ON GOOD NOTE
27 February 2015
Warriors FC vs Balestier Khalsa
(1 March, Sunday, 7.30pm, Jalan Besar Stadium)
Written by: Nigel Chin
Great Eastern Yeo's S.League champions Warriors FC take on RHB Singapore Cup winners Balestier Khalsa in the traditional curtain-raiser to the season.
The two will meet in the Great Eastern Charity Shield which pits the winners of the League and Cup. The match will also double up as a league match.
Warriors coach Alex Weaver will be keen for his side to carry over their form from last season, as they aim to defend their title and spark another period of dominance. A win in the Charity Shield will be a good start to begin with.
In a bid to continue their winning ways, Weaver has retained all five foreigners, all of whom are the core of the team, while bringing in a mix of promising and experienced locals.
Daniel Bennett, Shi Jiayi, Hafiz Rahim and Irwan Shah have also extended their stay with the most successful club in Singapore.
Hafiz feels that the whole team knows what is expected of them come Sunday. The attacking midfielder said: “We are the defending champions and we are already looking forward to defend the title. If we win, it will be a confidence booster for the season. “
“It is still early to determine how our season will go, but we are going to try to kick-start our season with a win. The key is to work together, go into the game with a positive mindset and hopefully, we can win the game.”
Both teams have suffered losses in their AFC Cup games, but for Warriors, it was their third competitive game of the year. That might give them an advantage over the Tigers who, in contrast, have almost an entirely new squad and only played one competitive fixture.
A trio of Croatians will be making their debut in Singapore shores and will no doubt be the key for them - midfielders Robert Periric, Tarik Cmajcanin and striker Miroslav Kristic have already put up some good performances in pre-season friendlies.
The club has also picked up two promising youngsters in Ignatius Ang and Mahathir Azeman. The latter made waves as the first Singaporean to play in Brazil, but unfortunately he will be out for the first half of the year with injuries.
However, it is worth noting that the Tigers have not lost to Warriors in the last eight match-ups, a run that stretches back to September 2012. Balestier captain Zaiful Nizam hopes that the record will play on their opponents' minds and give his team a psychological boosts before the match starts.
Said Zaiful: “Yes, I think it will give us a boost. But we also have to be prepared ourselves, and make sure we give our best. We can’t expect to turn up and just win the game. It was through preparation and hard work that we won the RHB Singapore Cup last year. Of course, there’s also luck involved in every matches."
“It also doesn’t matter if our opponents for the game is a top team, we just have to give our best and see how it goes from there. Hopefully it will be us winning the game.”
Key Man To Watch
Warriors FC: Nicolas Velez
Velez will undoubtedly be the key man for Warriors once again. The Argentinian was their top scorer last year as he fired his team to the S.League title.
There is no doubt that he will be the main source of goals this year. While Velez has not gotten off the mark in the first three games (ACL Playoffs and AFC Cup) this season, do not count against him to get his name on the scoresheet as he aims for the Golden Boot this year.
Balestier Khalsa: Zaiful Nizam
The goalkeeper is not only just the goalkeeper for his team, but he is also the source of inspiration for his team-mates on the pitch.
The Balestier captain’s astounding performances in the last two years have helped the Tigers to two trophies - (2013 Starhub League Cup and 2014 RHB Singapore Cup) - and he will once again be needed to be in top form if his side wants to add the Great Eastern Charity Shield to their cabinet collection.
Warriors FC - LLDWW
24/2/15 Warriors 1-3 Persipura Jayapura (AFC Cup)
10/2/15 Guangzhou R&F 3-0 Warriors FC (ACL Playoffs)
4/2/15 Yadanarbon 1-1 (5-6 p) Warriors FC (ACL Playoffs)
31/10/14 Warriors FC 1-0 Albirex Niigata (S)
23/10/14 Warriors FC 2-1 Tampines Rovers
Balestier Khalsa - LWLDL
24/2/15 Kitchee SC 3-0 Balestier Khalsa (AFC Cup)
7/11/14 Balestier Khalsa 3-1 Home United (RHB Singapore Cup)
31/10/14 Balestier Khalsa 0-1 Home United
24/10/14 Brunei DPMM 1-1 Balestier Khalsa
18/10/14 Tampines Rovers 3-1 Balestier Khalsa
Head to Head (S.League)
1/10/2014 Warriors 0-1 Balestier Khalsa
12/06/2014 Warriors 1-1 Balestier Khalsa
28/03/2014 Balestier Khalsa 2-2 Warriors
03/07/2013 Warriors 1-1 Balestier Khalsa
24/03/2013 Balestier Khalsa 2-0 Warriors
Tags:
- Balestier Khalsa
- Warriors FC
- Charity Shield
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Man City
Sporting
Tottenham