| Fadhil Yunus |
DPMM FC Head Coach Rene Weber has set his sights in creating history by winning the coveted Singapore Cup for the first time ahead of the final showpiece against the mighty Albirex Niigata (S) at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore tonight.
The Gegar-Gegar men have a formidable opponent standing in their way of the title, which is the only silverware missing from their cabinet, having triumphed in the Singapore League Cup on three occasions and the league title in 2015.
The White Swans have won each of the last three Singapore Cup editions and are favourites of making it a fourth, having excelled in the league and written themselves in the history books as the first ever Singapore league side who went unbeaten the entire season.
But DPMM FC is on a mission and will be determined to pull out all the stops to the Albirex juggernaut.
“We are happy to be in the final and of course, we want to be a part of history,” Weber said in an interview recently.
However, history aside, Weber instilled belief that his team could come out on top having likened the final as a special game.
“We know the final will be difficult but everything can happen. The final is a special game. I believe in my team.
“We know the opponent as we played against them three times. I hope we play like we did in the second half (against Balestier Khalsa).”
“The opponents haven’t lost any games; they are three-time champions of the Singapore Cup but this is football, anything can happen,” the former Brazil under-20 manager said.
“We can respect the opponents but that means we have to play harder than them – that’s respect.”
Meanwhile, Albirex Niigata (S) Head Coach Kazuaki Yoshinaga refused to rest on their laurels despite their unblemished season and is wary of their opponents’ recent form. “We do not think of any past records. For us, what we achieved in the past remains in the past. Our players and ourselves will give our best.
“DPMM FC have been unbeaten for 10 games and Rene Weber is a very good coach for them. He has helped to improve a lot of players there but we will prepare well and try to win,” he said.