Home, Tampines to meet in Singapore Cup opening round
This year's RHB Singapore Cup will open with a thrilling first-round fixture between Home United and Tampines Rovers.
In the tournament draw that took place yesterday at the OCBC Square, it was announced that teams will compete in a home-and-away knockout format in the first round of the competition that is set to be played from July 25 to Oct 6.
The coaches of both teams acknowledged the tasks ahead of them and will not be taking the fixture lightly.
With this possibly being the Stags' last chance to land silverware this season, coach Juergen Raab has set his sights on winning the Cup.
He said: "It's a tough match. Home are a strong team. But if you take part in the Cup, winning it is the only success."
Home coach Aidil Sharin hopes to surpass last year's third-placed finish, saying: "It's a tough draw, but we have to take it positively. We have to always aim higher than we did last season and we have to work doubly hard to achieve what we want."
Tomorrow, both sides face each other for the first time in this season's Singapore Premier League (SPL).
In other first-round Cup fixtures, three-time defending champions Albirex Niigata will face Hougang United, while Balestier Khalsa are slated to play Geylang International, and Warriors FC will come up against Brunei DPMM.
Albirex, who extended their perfect record in the SPL to 13 wins from 13 matches after defeating Geylang 3-0 last night, are bidding to win all trophies on offer again.
Said Albirex general manager Koh Mui Tee: "We have a good team this year and we are confident that we will have a good run for the Singapore Cup."
The tournament will not feature overseas teams for the first time since 2005, a move that is in line with the Football Association of Singapore's focus on developing young footballers. - KIMBERLY KWEK
RHB SINGAPORE CUP, ROUND ONE
- Home United v Tampines Rovers
- Hougang United v Albirex Niigata
- Geylang Int'l v Balestier Khalsa
- Brunei DPMM v Warriors FC
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