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On Tuesday, Takayuki Nishigaya, head coach of the Singapore men’s national team, announced his 23-man roster for the upcoming FIFA international window.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 fixtures Singapore time have already been long-announced and if you didn’t know yet, the Lions have two international ‘A’ friendly matches scheduled for September 21 and 24 at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam versus Vietnam and India.
The two games are part of a tri-tournament and will be played at Thong Nhat Stadium. Let’s check who made it into the roster.
Bringing the A-game to the International Friendlies
Mukundan Maran and Joshua Pereira have been added to the roster for the very first time, while both Hazzuwan Halim and Ho Wai Loon are back after missing out in June 2021 and October 2018, respectively. Shawal Anuar was almost definitely going to be called up, but his wife is currently expecting their first child.
The call-up was a nice surprise and a great sensation, Pereira, who has previously been capped at the Under-22 level, remarked. As this is his first football season since returning from two years of National Service, he is grateful to his teammates at Geylang International for encouraging him to give his all.
He went on to explain that he anticipates a challenging training regimen and is eager to gain valuable experience playing alongside his veteran teammates. He will have to prove his worth on the international level. While becoming a part of the WorldCup22 could still be a long shot, with the right mindset and attitude, anything could happen.
Nishigaya’s squad will begin their Group B campaign in the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 on December 24 at home against Myanmar, so these games are part of their preparations for that tournament.
Singapore’s set of drills and preparations
Nishigaya claims to have observed every AIA Singapore Premier League (SPL) game to evaluate potential team members, and he is open to trying out new players who can provide creative plays.
The end-of-year Mitsubishi Electric Cup is the overall picture, and this window is just one component of the Nishigaya team’s preparations for that.
The Head Coach also acknowledges that their upcoming matches against Vietnam and India are against higher-ranked teams and that they would provide excellent practice and a formidable test for his squad. If anything, the current World Cup betting odds 2022 is proof that there’s a whole lot for the squad to improve on.
They need just practice against similar teams to gain the self-assurance to eventually take on teams like those, at which point they will greatly advance their abilities.
Nagashiya also noted that there is potential for improvement within the Lions and that the upcoming friendlies will provide his players with additional practice in his playing philosophy.
Fixtures and teams
While some Singaporean fans are already fixated on the upcoming Qatar 2022 or even the World Cup 2022 free livestream, the fixtures for the International Friendlies are something to keep everyone occupied for the time being.
The 19-27 of September will be the window, and we will reveal the official roster and other specifics as we get further to the beginning of the window.
September 2022 Singapore Men’s National Team Fixtures
September 21, 2022 (Wednesday)
Vietnam v Singapore
Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City
September 24, 2022 (Saturday)
Singapore v India
Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City
September 2022 Singapore Men’s National Team Squad
Goalkeeper
- Hassan Sunny (Lion City Sailors)
- Mukundan Maran (Hougang United)
- Zaiful Nizam (Geylang International)
Defender
- Amirul Adli {Lion City Sailors)
- Hariss Harun (Lion City Sailors)
- Irfan Fandi (BG Pathum United)
- Joshua Pereira (Geylang International)
- Nazrul Nazari (Hougang United)
- Ryaan Sanizal (Tampines Rovers)
- Ryhan Steward (Chiangmai FC)
Midfielder
- Adam Swandi (Lion City Sailors)
- Hafiz Nor (Lion City Sailors)
- Hazzuwan Halim (Geylang International)
- Ho Wai Loon (Balestier Khalsa)
- M. Anumanthan (Lion City Sailors)
- Shah Shahiran (Young Lions)
- Shahdan Sulaiman (Lion City Sailors)
Forward
- Faris Ramli (Lion City Sailors)
- Glenn Kweh (Young Lions)
- Ikhsan Fandi (BG Panthum United)
- Ilhan Fandi (Albirex Niigata)
- Song Uiyoung (Lion City Sailors)
- Taufik Suparno (Tampines Rovers)
Closing thoughts
The Lions, currently ranked 159th in the world, played the 97th-ranked Vietnam in a friendly AYA Bank Cup tournament in June 2016, and the game ended in a scoreless draw. In contrast, the 104th-ranked Indian national team was defeated 2-0 by the 159th-ranked Lions in a friendly match in October 2012. Goals were scored by Khairul Amri and Fazrul Nawaz.
There is not enough time to lollygag until the main World Cup event in Qatar. The International Friendlies is just one of the many betting tournaments that you can bet on today. You can get up to a 200% sports betting bonus on your first deposit at Solarbet, a great way to keep yourself occupied and entertained for the time being!
