Albirex Niigata vs Tampines Rovers

Jurong East Stadium forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering Singapore Premier League showdown between Albirex Niigata and Tampines Rovers.

Albirex Niigata have hit the ground running after four consecutive Premier League stalemates, as they come into proceedings having won their last five league matches on the bounce. That run includes a season-defining 2-1 victory at table-topping Lion City last time out. Despite trailing the league leaders by nine points, two games in hand mean the ‘White Swans’ are well in contention for their fifth Premier League title. Based on Albirex’s four-game home league form (W3, D1), this should be another day in the office for Kazuaki Yoshinaga’s side. However, their indifferent H2H home record across their last three meetings with Tampines (W1, D1, L1) points out that there is no room for complacency.

In the meantime, Tampines Rovers are dealing with a crisis but are still within touching distance of the AFC Cup qualifying spots. With three games in hand on third-placed Tanjong Pagar, a four-point deficit looks more than bridgeable. On top of that, Tampines eased past Geylang International 2-0 last time out to put a two-game losing league streak to bed. But the ‘Stags’ have struggled to find their feet on the road this term, as witnessed by their dismal return of one win from four top-flight travels (D1, L2). High scoring has been a common theme in that spread of fixtures, as three out of form have seen 4+ goals and both teams scoring.