Dubai training camp for Lions ahead of AFF Suzuki Cup
Friendlies against Kyrgyzstan and Morocco 'A' lined up ahead of AFF Suzuki Cup
The Lions will undergo a training camp in Dubai from next Monday to Nov 17 to prepare for the AFF Suzuki Cup, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced yesterday.
While the Dec 5-Jan 1 tournament will be staged in the Republic, Tatsuma Yoshida's men are going abroad in search of quality opposition for tune-up matches.
They will play world No. 96 Kyrgyzstan on Nov 11 in an official "A" international - in which each side are limited to six substitutions and appearances count towards caps - before playing the Morocco "A" side in an unofficial friendly five days later.
The Morocco national team are ranked 29th in the world, but the team Singapore will meet will comprise only players from the African nation's domestic league.
This team represent Morocco at the African Nations Championship - not to be confused with the African Nations Cup - and have won the last two editions of the tournament, in 2018 and last year.
Yoshida said in a media statement that the 160th-ranked Lions are grateful to the Government and FAS for arranging the training camp amid the pandemic and aim to make the most of the opportunity.
The Singapore team travelling are fully vaccinated, and therefore not required to serve quarantine upon arriving in the United Arab Emirates.
However, as the Middle Eastern nation is not currently among the list of countries in Singapore's Vaccinated Travel Lane scheme, it is understood the Lions will have to follow a "controlled itinerary" upon their return to Singapore.
IN A BUBBLE
It will be similar to their programme after returning from three World Cup qualifiers in Saudi Arabia in June, when they were placed in a bubble with strict restrictions on movement, which allowed them to train while serving quarantine.
Said Yoshida: "I hope the level of play will be high and it will be a very good opportunity for us to sharpen our match play."
He added that overseas-based players like Safuwan Baharudin (Selangor, Malaysia) and Ikhsan Fandi (Jerv, Norway) would be joining the squad in Dubai.
"(They) have not been with us for almost two years and we are looking forward to having them back," he said.
"In Dubai, we will be able to assess their condition and also have the entire team spend time together for 10 days to train, play and bond."
He had previously declared he is eyeing silverware at the Suzuki Cup, which will be his first tournament since being appointed Lions coach in May 2019. Singapore are four-time champions but have not won since 2012.
The Japanese coach added that centralised training, which commenced on Oct 25 with eight sessions a week until Saturday, has been "positive" and praised his players for their "behaviour and attitude".
The Lions will kick off the AFF Suzuki Cup against Myanmar in a Group A clash on Dec 5. The other teams in the group are record five-time champions Thailand, Philippines and either Brunei or Timor-Leste.
Group B comprises defending champions Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos and Cambodia.
The top two teams from each group progress to the semi-finals.
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