SINGAPORE - Their chief striker Ikhsan Fandi is jet lagged, having arrived from Norway on Tuesday (June 4) and having spent the following day celebrating Hari Raya with his family.
While Fandi Ahmad acknowledged on Thursday that goals may be a problem at the June 7-9 Merlion Cup, the former national striker promised to stick to his attacking football ethos as his Under-22 side take on the Philippines at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday.
"I'm confident in tomorrow's game but the main problem is scoring goals," the 57-year-old said at the pre-tournament media conference at the Copthorne King's Hotel on Thursday. "We need composure in front of the goal. I hope he (Ikhsan) carries on his form but he just arrived, he hasn't had a session with us before and he's jet lagged.
"Yesterday there were celebrations the entire day until the evening and I think I saw him collapse at the end of the day so he needs a good rest. We have some restrictions on him but we will manage.
"I'm sure we will attack and my style is that I like to attack. We always play good high-pressing games. I think the boys are ready and hopefully, they will do another good showing like in the AFC Under-23 tournament qualifiers. We're looking forward to this."
Singapore were undefeated in three Asian Football Confederation U-23 qualifiers in March and scored five goals in the process, although they failed to make the tournament proper in January 2020.
Ikhsan, who has netted four goals in 11 games for Norwegian second-tier club Raufoss this season, told The Straits Times that he will try to replicate his club form for the national side, but "everybody has to play their part" if they were to beat Philippines to earn a place in Sunday's final against Thailand or Indonesia.
The 20-year-old pointed to the likes of Balestier Khalsa's Daniel Goh and Geylang International's Zikos Chua, and said: "We have new players now so I think they will bring something new to the team... some new players who might show themselves during this tournament.
Â
"Who knows, they might play a very big part for us."
Zikos, 17, is eager to make an impression in his first outing for the U-22s, having made his competitive debut for Geylang last year.
"I think they've selected us (youngsters) for a reason and we hope we can try and replicate the good things we've showcased in our clubs and hopefully bring it to the team and try to give our 100 per cent," said Zikos, who pointed to his aerial presence and link-up play as strengths.
"I'm definitely looking forward to the tournament, I think it's going to be a good experience."
While Fandi acknowledged that Thailand and Indonesia have both fielded under-strength teams for this tournament, he believes the competition is beneficial to his side's preparations for the Nov 30-Dec 11 SEA Games in the Philippines.
"At the end of the day, the SEA Games is our target and we want to do well. This tournament is the stepping stone for the boys to push the level higher," he said.
While he joked that his players may be "3kg up" after the Hari Raya festivities, he added: "We'll be fine. We'll give a good fight and a good show. I just hope the fans will come, put their Hari Raya celebrations aside to come and support the U-22 boys, give them more motivation and confidence.
"Hopefully, the real lions (the fans) will come and roar for us."
* Merlion Cup tickets are available at the stadium or online via www.fas.org.sg/tickets
V-Varen Nagasaki vs Albirex Niigata LIVE Stream# Short Preview Enjoy watching a meeting between a mid-table team and a leading team (ranked 12 and 8). V-Varen Nagasaki is in poor shape (in the last 5 games wins - 1).
Albirex Niigatas [SIN] vs Brunei DPMM Betting odds
Almoez Ali brushed off a row about his eligibility to scoop an Asian Cup winner's medal and smash a 23-year-old scoring record on Friday, confirming that Qatar have a potential star in the making
Almoez Ali Qatari goal machine targets Europe move before
Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Burnley - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - December 22, 2018 Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scores their second goal Action Images via Reuters/J
Football: Aubameyang brace gives Arsenal win over Burnley
Liverpool seal Christmas top spot as Salah and Van Dijk sink Wolves. Liverpool seal Christmas top spot as Salah and Van Dijk sink Wolves Liverpool seal Christmas top spot as Salah and Van Dijk
UPDATE 2-Soccer-Liverpool seal Christmas top spot as Salah
Harry Kane: Tottenham striker out until March with ankle injury
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has confirmed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a serious knee injury and could return to training as early as February.
Football: Oxlade-Chamberlain could return to training in
Spurs shine to hit Everton for six; But with Liverpool facing Arsenal and Manchester City in a top-of-the-table clash in their next three games over the festive period, Tottenham have the
Barcelona - Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele returned to team training on Thursday, increasing hopes that he will recover from his hamstring injury in time for next week's Champions League trip to Manchester United. "Jasper Cillessen (also out injured) and Ousmane Dembele were back training with the group," the La Liga leaders said on their
Ousmane Dembele of Barcelona returns from injury ahead of Man
Salgaocar hope for rub of the green in I-League. We don't have a lot of preparation time. Salgaocar do not lack depth in midfield and are particularly well served in this department with
West Indies' fury at 'dodgy' decisions as Australia get rub
Kylian Mbappe and Presnel Kimpembe scored with assists from Angel Di Maria as Paris St Germain beat Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford. Manchester United's Champions League hopes were hanging by a thread after a 2-0 home defeat by Paris St Germain in their round-of-16, first leg match on Tuesday, with talisman Paul Pogba sent […]
PSG take charge with 2-0 win at United, Pogba sent off
AFC Asian Cup 2019: Qatar reach final after routing UAE 4-0 amid booing of national anthem, shoe-hurling Amid shoes being thrown in insult, Qatar won its politically charged match against host United Arab Emirates 4-0 and advanced to the Asian Cup final
Watch: Qatar thrash UAE amid ugly scenes to reach Asian Cup final
Fulham secured their first clean sheet of the season with some dogged defending in a 0-0 draw with Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday. The hosts, looking for a second successive
Fulham dig deep to deny Newcastle and earn first clean sheet
Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform, used as educational technology in schools and other educational institutions. Its learning games, "Kahoots", are multiple-choice quizzes that allow user generation and can be accessed via a web browser, phone, or the app itself.
Kahoot! Blog
Football: Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri charged with misconduct
