The Lion City Sailors are just 90 minutes away from making the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two semi-final but the odds are definitely stacked against them.
On 16 April, they will face off against Sydney FC at the Allianz Stadium and will hope to be able to keep the doors shut so that they become the first Singapore side to reach the final of a major Asian club competition.
While up 2-0 from the first leg, a draw or a defeat by a single goal margin will allow the Sailors progress.
Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković does not feel the need to motivate his charges given the task at hand.
“In these kinds of games, I don’t really have to motivate the players much — so for me, these are actually easier games to coach,” he said.
“The confidence is definitely there after the first leg, but we know this is going to be a totally different game.
“We’re ready — and we’re not just going to sit back, let’s be clear about that.”
He added that his confidence also comes from the fact that “we’ve scored in every away game of this campaign”.
“We know we’re capable of doing it again.”
The stats from the first match do not make for easy reading though.
Sydney FC had the lion’s share of possession (68%) and also had a total of eight shots on goal compared to the Sailors five.
But it is the final scoreline which mattered most.
Defender Bailey Wright, an Australian international who played at the 2018 World Cup said that the second leg is the team’s chance to “make our mark on Asian football and show what Singapore is all about.”
“We’re all aware of that. We know what’s at stake — and it’s not just important for us as a club or as individuals, but for Singapore as well.”
Should the Sailors progress, they will face either Saudi Arabia’s Al-Taawoun or UAE’s Sharjah FC in the final on 18 May.
PHOTO: LION CITY SAILORS