Veterans take the spotlight
Grabovac and Duric will need to step up in vital clash
Weekend • October 27, 2007
NTUC Income-Yeo's S-League 2007
SAFFC v Tampines Rovers
7.45pm, Choa Chu Kang Stadium (Sat)
It is possibly the biggest match of the 2007 NTUC Income-Yeo's S-League season.
After Home United's surprising loss to the Young Lions on Thursday, SAFFC and Tampines Rovers know whoever comes out on top in the "clash of the titans" on Saturday will be the favourites for the title as the season reaches a climax.
While SAFFC will be confident in front of their own fans at Choa Chu Kang Stadium, the match has taken on a whole different hue with the absence of the national team players on the night, due to their call-up for the Singapore-Palestine World Cup qualifier on Sunday.
Tampines look to be hardest hit.
Besides missing Shariff Samat, Mustafic Fahrudin, Ridhuan Muhamad and Noh Alam Shah, all on Lions' duty, the Stags also have playmaker Peres de Oliveira and Zulkarnaen Zainal out injured.
But veteran striker Mirko Grabovac (picture left), who spent five trophy-laden years at SAFFC before signing with the eastern giants, insisted the team were confident.
"There's a great atmosphere in our camp," he said on Friday.
"We are capable of winning this match even without Peres and Zulkarnaen."
"Our winger Aliff (Shafaein) will be playing and he could be the key," added the Croatian-born Singaporean.
Having won the title twice with SAFFC and Tampines, Grabovac knows what it takes to finish on top.
While he is nursing a groin strain, at this stage of the season pain is put on the backburner.
"It's not a big problem, really," said the 36-year-old. "We will all be trying our very best in this game, you can be sure of that."
SAFFC's veteran striker Aleksander Duric (picture, right), 37, has banged home 36 goals so far in the competition.
He has great respect for the Stags' marksman, who has 12 goals.
"There's a lot more to his game than just scoring goals," said the Aussie-turned Singaporean.
"He is well-known at Choa Chu Kang and is still a very dangerous player."
Urging Singapore fans to come out and catch a good game, Duric added: "I have a lot of trust in how we play our games. We hold nothing back and the fans will enjoy that." — Paul Green
2010 Combined Table of Domestic Competitions, as at 7-Mar (after League Cup Final)
# Team----- P W-D-L F-A P- GD
-----------------------------
1 Etoile-- 6 5-1-0 12-5 16 +7
2 Sengkang 7 4-1-2 13-9 13 +4
-----------------------------
3 Tampines-- 4 2-1-1 5-3 7 +2
4 Gombak---- 6 2-1-3 7-8 7 -1
5 Woodlands- 6 1-4-1 6-7 7 -1
6 Geylang--- 5 1-3-1 5-5 6 0
7 SAFFC----- 4 1-2-1 5-6 5 -1
8 Home------ 3 1-1-1 4-4 4 0
9 Y.Lions--- 4 0-3-1 4-5 3 -1
10 Balestier 4 1-0-3 4-7 3 -1
11 Albirex-- 4 0-2-2 3-6 2 -3
-----------------------------
12 Beijing-- 3 0-1-2 1-4 1 -3
-----------------------------
1 Etoile-- 6 5-1-0 12-5 16 +7
2 Sengkang 7 4-1-2 13-9 13 +4
-----------------------------
3 Tampines-- 4 2-1-1 5-3 7 +2
4 Gombak---- 6 2-1-3 7-8 7 -1
5 Woodlands- 6 1-4-1 6-7 7 -1
6 Geylang--- 5 1-3-1 5-5 6 0
7 SAFFC----- 4 1-2-1 5-6 5 -1
8 Home------ 3 1-1-1 4-4 4 0
9 Y.Lions--- 4 0-3-1 4-5 3 -1
10 Balestier 4 1-0-3 4-7 3 -1
11 Albirex-- 4 0-2-2 3-6 2 -3
-----------------------------
12 Beijing-- 3 0-1-2 1-4 1 -3
S.League All-Time Table Watch (up to 19-Feb-2010: break for League Cup)
# Teams---- Ssn P-- W---D--L-- F---A-- Pts GD--
-----------------------------------------------
01 SAFFC---- 15 391 261-69-061 964-460 854 +504 *
02 Home----- 15 389 219-70-100 812-517 729 +295 *
03 Tampines- 15 390 191-83-116 754-535 659 +219 *
04 Geylang-- 15 391 175-84-132 659-518 612 +141 *
05 Woodlands 15 389 142-95-152 618-637 519 -019 *
06 Balestier 15 390 100-88-202 535-783 390 -248 *
07 Tjg.Pagar 09 234 100-46-086 399-385 350 +014
----------------------------------------------
08 Gombak-- 11 259 82-64-113 366-437 310 -071 *
09 Yng.Lions 8 216 76-51-089 330-362 280 -032 *
10 Jurong--- 7 179 70-36-073 261-274 253 -013
11 Albirex-- 7 183 66-50-067 282-276 248 +006 *
12 Sengkang 11 292 52-64-176 303-624 228 -321 *
13 Sembawang 7 207 53-52-102 256-405 216 -149
---------------------------------------------
14 SuperReds 3 96 41-20-35 144-146 143 -02
14 Clementi 4 110 22-29-59 150-261 95 -111
16 Sinchi--- 3 87 22-19-46 109-166 88 -057
-------------------------------------------
17 Liaoning- 1 33 8-5-20 33-63 29 -30
19 Afrique-- 1 30 5-9-16 36-58 24 -22
20 Dalian--- 1 33 5-7-21 26-75 22 -49
20 Etoile FC 1 02 1-1-00 03-02 04 +01 *
21 PayaLebar 1 27 1-1-25 23-78 04 -55
22 Beijing-- 1 02 0-1-01 00-01 01 -01 *
23 Brun.DPMM 1 00 0-0-00 00-00 00 000 **
"*" : teams active in current season
"**": Brunei DPMM's results in 2009 expunged due to FIFA ban.
-----------------------------------------------
01 SAFFC---- 15 391 261-69-061 964-460 854 +504 *
02 Home----- 15 389 219-70-100 812-517 729 +295 *
03 Tampines- 15 390 191-83-116 754-535 659 +219 *
04 Geylang-- 15 391 175-84-132 659-518 612 +141 *
05 Woodlands 15 389 142-95-152 618-637 519 -019 *
06 Balestier 15 390 100-88-202 535-783 390 -248 *
07 Tjg.Pagar 09 234 100-46-086 399-385 350 +014
----------------------------------------------
08 Gombak-- 11 259 82-64-113 366-437 310 -071 *
09 Yng.Lions 8 216 76-51-089 330-362 280 -032 *
10 Jurong--- 7 179 70-36-073 261-274 253 -013
11 Albirex-- 7 183 66-50-067 282-276 248 +006 *
12 Sengkang 11 292 52-64-176 303-624 228 -321 *
13 Sembawang 7 207 53-52-102 256-405 216 -149
---------------------------------------------
14 SuperReds 3 96 41-20-35 144-146 143 -02
14 Clementi 4 110 22-29-59 150-261 95 -111
16 Sinchi--- 3 87 22-19-46 109-166 88 -057
-------------------------------------------
17 Liaoning- 1 33 8-5-20 33-63 29 -30
19 Afrique-- 1 30 5-9-16 36-58 24 -22
20 Dalian--- 1 33 5-7-21 26-75 22 -49
20 Etoile FC 1 02 1-1-00 03-02 04 +01 *
21 PayaLebar 1 27 1-1-25 23-78 04 -55
22 Beijing-- 1 02 0-1-01 00-01 01 -01 *
23 Brun.DPMM 1 00 0-0-00 00-00 00 000 **
"*" : teams active in current season
"**": Brunei DPMM's results in 2009 expunged due to FIFA ban.
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