Singapore have named a 26-member squad to face India in their upcoming Asian Cup Qualifiers. The Lions will host the Indians at the National Stadium in the city on October 9. They will then travel to Margao, India, to play at the Fatorda Stadium. Singapore must win both legs. The squad aims to qualify for the Asian Cup for the first time and currently lead Group C.
Singapore’s interim head coach Gavin Lee will be pleased with the way his wards defeated Bangladesh 2-1 in June. This win gave them a commanding position in the table. The Indians, meanwhile, are last in the table with a draw against Bangladesh and a loss to Hong Kong. Singapore, in comparison, drew with Hong Kong before defeating the Bangladeshis.
Winning both legs of this encounter can almost guarantee Singapore a berth in the Asian Cup finals. India will not be far off and aim for victories in both matches as well. However, India’s head coach Khalid Jamil has struggled with clubs not willing to release their players for this window. He only recently received all his wards for the preparatory camp. Will this hamper India’s chances to beat the city-country? Only time will tell.
India are ranked 134 by FIFA, while Singapore are ranked 158. This gives the Blue Tigers a head start, but time has shown they are not always as cohesive as in training. The biggest inclusion for Singapore this window is captain Hariss Harun, who was injured during the September window.
“The September FIFA window was aimed at preparing ourselves for these two important matches against India, as we aim to put ourselves in a good position for the remainder of the qualification campaign. There were positives that we will look to build on, and also lessons about ourselves that we’ve taken away,” said interim head coach Lee.
“We believe the squad we’ve assembled are acutely aware of what qualification means for Singapore football and they understand the standards required to accomplish the task that lies ahead. Now it’s up to us as a group to prepare well and go out there and deliver,” he added.
Lee also made strategic decisions, calling up Jonan Tan, Raoul Suhaimi, and Ong Yu En for the matches against India, primarily to keep an eye on the future. Lee clarified that he aims to build a squad that can sustain for years and give Singapore a polished and refined appeal. He also emphasized the importance of inspiring the next generation of players with these call-ups.
Here is the full Singapore squad:
- Goalkeepers: Izwan Mahbud, Rudy Khairullah, Syazwan Buhari
- Defenders: Amirul Adli, Irfan Najeeb, Safuwan Baharudin, Raoul Suhaimi, Ryhan Stewart, Lionel Tan.
- Midfielders: Joel Chew, Farhan Zulkifli, Jared Gallagher, Hami Syahin, Hariss Harun (c), Glenn Kweh, Jacob Mahler, Kyoga Nakamura, Ong Yu En, Shah Shahiran, Song Uiyoung, Harhys Stewart, Jonan Tan.
- Forwards: Jordan Emaviwe, Ikhsan Fandi, Ilhan Fandi, Shawal Anuar.
