Match: Albirex Niigata v Tampines Rovers
Date: 29 October, Saturday
Time: 8pm SGT/5:30pm IST/1pm BST
Venue: Jalan Besar Stadium
Competition: Singapore Cup 2016
TV Channel: In Singapore, there is no live TV coverage of the Singapore Cup 2016 final.
Overview
Albirex Niigata take on Tampines Rovers in the final of the 2016 Singapore Cup at the Jalan Besar Stadium on 29 October.
Albirex have won all the major trophies of the season, including the Community Shield, League Cup, S.League, and are eyeing to become the first-ever team to complete a quadruple in Singapore football.
The White Swans clinched their league title with a 3-0 win over Hougang United as early as 14 October. With the services of Atsushi Kawata, who is also the highest-scorer of the recently completed league, Albirex have been dominant throughout the season.
Goalkeeper Yosuke Nozawa has also been in good form and has combined well with the defensive unit that has conceded the least number of goals (24) in the league.
Coach Naoki Naruo, who had a woeful season - a seventh-place finish without a piece of silverware, during his maiden stint with the club in the S.League, has taken the league by storm on his return.
However, the momentum is not with Albirex as they have lost their last two league games, including the 5-1 thrashing to Tampines on Wednesday. Naruo though, has shrugged off loss in momentum for his ahead of the big final.
On the other hand, Tampines are looking to win the cup after a 10-year-drought. They will have a lot to play for as it will be the last game for one of their biggest stars - Jermaine Pennant, who is leaving the club at the end of the season.
The Stags have been marred by doubts over futures of players after the team management decided to considerably reduce wage budgets. Amidst all the uncertainties, Akbar Nawas' side has gone ahead and done its job effectively in the last two games and have sealed next season's AFC Cup spot after finishing as the highest-ranked local team, a point behind Albirex (50).
A cup win on Saturday would be the ideal morale booster for Tampines, who are looking set for a major revamp.
Team News
Albirex Niigata
Possible XI: Y Nozawa; K Fujihara, A Shirota, R Kumada, N Tanaka; S Inaba, D Ishiyama, M Jitozono, K Mine; A Kawata, H Kamata
Tampines Rovers
Possible XI: I Mahbud; I Mukhtar, A Yunos, A Sujad, I Shah; J Pennant, F Kwok, I Shafiq, J Webb; B Mehmet, D Silvas
