The Football Association of Singapore revealed on November 2 that in order to prepare for the AFF Suzuki Cup, the Singapore Lions have to go to a training facility in Dubai from November 8 to 17.
Even though the Suzuki Cup will be held in two venues in Singapore, Tatsuma Yoshida’s side will go overseas to train in order to have an advantage in the competition.
If you are planning to place your bets on the odds for Team Singapore in SG Pools, let’s examine their status in the competition.
International Friendlies
On November 11, they will compete against FIFA Rankings 96th team Kyrgyzstan in an international friendly match where each team is restricted to six substitutions and appearances. Also, on November 16, they will compete against Morocco’s side in the same international friendlies.
The national football team of Morocco is ranked 29th in the FIFA World Ranking, however, the side that Singapore will go against is composed primarily of athletes from Morocco’s domestic league.
Team Morocco has represented the country in the African Nations Championship (a tournament slightly different from the Africa Cup of Nations), the team has been champions of two seasons of the competition, first in 2018 and then in 2020.
Training Program
Yoshida said in an official statement that the Lions who are ranking 160th in the FIFA World Ranking are very thankful to the Singaporean government and the FAS for organizing the training program while in pandemic and their goal is to take advantage of the opportunity given to them.
He reassured that Team Singapore are all fully vaccinated, hence, they are not required to be isolated when they arrive in the United Arab Emirates. Although UAE is at the moment not part of the Vaccinated Travel Lane List of Singapore, the team should be aware that they may be placed in quarantine upon their return to Singapore.
“During this program, we will get the chance to play against worldwide competitors, which is an important part of our preparation. I’m hoping for a high level of competition, as it will be an excellent opportunity for us to hone our match play,” Yoshida said.
“We’ll be able to examine their physical status in Dubai, as well as have the complete team spend 10 days together to exercise, play, and bond,” he added.
Main Goal of the Team
The Japanese coach stated before that his goal is to have the national team win silver in the Suzuki Cup, he said that this goal was in his mind ever since he was hired as the coach for the Lions back in May 2019.
Singapore has been champions four times but they are still hoping for their first win in the regional level which is mostly dominated by the nations of Thailand and Vietnam.
Yoshida said that the training program which started on October 25 composed of eight training sessions per week will have been a fruitful experience for his team and he is proud of their disciplined behavior during the process.
He also said that the main purpose of the Dubai trip is to aid the team to move into the next phase of their preparations, learning to focus their attention on what they will do in match-day situations and keep their minds revitalized before the commencement of the Suzuki Cup.
The Suzuki Cup
The Suzuki Cup is a biennial competition where Southeast Asian nations compete. The Lions are placed in Group A along with the nations of Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, and either Timor Leste or Brunei.
On the other hand, Group B is composed of Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia, and the current title-holder, Vietnam.
The top nation from each respective group will advance to the semi-finals to battle out for the championship title. Odds are already in place for the Suzuki Cup in Singapore Pools available for the future bets.
The 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup will run from December 5, 2021, to January 1, 2022. Singapore was appointed as the host city, while matches were held both in National Stadium and Bishan Stadium.