| Fadhil Yunus |
DPMM FC Head Coach Rene Weber insisted that the two-legged semi-final tie in the Singapore Cup is not a foregone conclusion despite carrying a two-goal advantage against Balestier Khalsa as the two sides clash at the Toa Payoh Stadium in Singapore tonight.
The Brazilian warned of complacency against the Tigers as they attempt to negotiate the return leg for a place in a first-ever Singapore Cup final against either newly-proclaimed invincibles Albirex Niigata (S) or Home United.
“We cannot be relaxed. A play-off game is always different from a league game. We must play hard. A two-goal advantage does not mean the tie is finished. Balestier do have a good team,” Weber told the Football Association of Singapore website.
“We must concentrate because they had chances to score in the first leg. It will not be easy and we have to play to win, not just thinking to get a draw.”
The Gegar Gegar men will face them for a third time in a space of just 10 days and the head coach has developed an insight on their playing style in which he hoped his side could manage.
“We know how they play having played four games against them. They always send long balls to their tall striker. They can also press us hard at the start of the match, so we must be ready to avoid making any mistakes,” he said.
DPMM FC, who still hold third place aspirations in the Singapore Premier League after moving out of contention in the chase for the runners-up spot, will be get a boost by the return of Shah Razen Said and Azwan Ali Rahman having missed the previous league game.
The local star scored a stunner in the 2-0 win and will be a key figure to help realise the team’s ambition for a first Singapore Cup final.
Balestier Khalsa’s forward Keegan Linderboom is a serious doubt after limping off in last weekend’s league clash.
Meanwhile, Balestier Khalsa head coach Marko Kraljevic has called his charges to fire in all cylinders as they look to overturn a two-goal swing in their bid of returning to the Singapore Cup final for the first time since 2014.
“We need to improve in the attacking third to be able to progress to the final. We need to score at least two goals and to do that, we need to be more deadly in the opponents’ box,” he said.