The match that never was!

Yes, I know it was postponed. But I must have missed the announcement and so I wrote a match preview anyway! It took me a while so I’m still going to publish it here.

This week sees the first Wednesday night game of this year's Singaporean Premier league as Warriors FC host Fandi Ahmad's Young Lions at Jurong East Stadium. Both teams are currently propping up the league and will see the game as a golden opportunity to secure a vital 3 points.

Warriors sit bottom of the league with 3 losses from their first 3 games and having already conceeded 13 goals. They come into this game low on confidence following a shocking second half collapse against Geylang International that saw them throw away a two goal lead and lose 5-2. However, there were some positives for Warriors to cling on to, especially in an impressive first half. Warriors' attacking midfielder Ignatius Ang was the best player on the pitch for the first 45 minutes, scoring one and making another. If he can repeat that kind of performance, Young Lions will struggle to contain him. Worryingly for Warriors, attacking winger Gabriel Quak started on the bench against Geylang and looked off the pace when he was bought on. A lot is expected from the recent signing but so far he hasn't shown the same kind of form as he did playing for the national team and could possibly be lacking a bit of match fitness going into the game. Quak has struggled so far this season to find space and time, this is unlikely to change against Young Lions, who have shown a great ability to quickly close down and pressure the opposition into making mistakes. Quak will be looking to his attacking team mates to help relieve some of this pressure, but the fact that Sahil Suhaimi only made the bench last Friday while Khairul Nizam was not even part of the match day squad perhaps points to more injury concerns for Warriors. Warriors fans will be desperate to see their three main attacking threats return to the starting 11 against Young Lions.

Adding to Warriors worries will be the absence of suspended midfielder Poh Yi Feng who captained the team against Geylang but got himself sent off in an ugly altercation with Syahiran Miswan. The Warriors quickly lost all shape and determination after the red card. Rather than trying to defend their lead and make up for the missing man with hard work and commitment they simply rolled over and gave up. The score could have been a lot worse in the end. This fragility and apparent lack of confidence is something that Warriors will need to overcome, victory against Young Lions would be a great start.

Despite only being one place above Warriors in the Singapore Premier League, Young Lions are undoubtedly happier with the start they made. They will be looking to bounce back after performing well against Home United at the weekend when they were perhaps a little unfortunate to lose 2-1. This performance, coming after a great win aganst Hougang United, the week before, has filled the Cubs with confidence going into this game. Much of Young Lions game this season is built around their desire to close down the midfield and hunt for the ball in packs. Fandi Ahmad has obviously trained them well and the level of fitness, especially considering their recent trip to Mongolia for AFCU23 qualification, is impressive. This hard work ethic is exemplified by midfielders Syed Firdaus and Joshua Pereira who seem to have the useful ability to force the opposition into making mistakes. Captain Joshua scored against Home and is likely to cause problems again against Warriors. Young Lions also look to have found a partnership upfront in Saifullah Akbar and Syukri Bashir that looks capable of finding the net this season. The stocky Syukri looks strong and able to hold off bigger defenders, he will also provide an aerial threat this season if his excellent headed goal against Hougang is anything to go by. His strike partner, Saifullah, also netted against Hougang and has impressed so far this season.

However, it has been at the back where Young Lions have struggled at times this season. They lost 5-1 against Balestier Khalsa in the opening game of the season and fans will be disappointed with the way Izzdin Shafiq brushed off Jacob Mahler on his way to scoring Home's first and by the number of chances that Home were able to create. But we should remember that Mahler and Lionel Tan looked solid against the dangerous Hougang United front line the week before, they will need to repeat that performance if they are to contain the likes of Gabriel Quak and Sahil Suhaimi.

It should be a fascinating game between two teams determined to avoid picking up this year's wooden spoon. If Warriors' attacking trio returns to the starting 11 it could be a tough night for Young Lions' shaky defence. But there is no doubting Young Lion's fighting spirit this season, they never give up or stop running. If they can force Warriors into making mistakes, win the midfield battle and get their noses ahead, these is always a chance that we will see another collapse from Warriors and a second win of the season for Young Lions.

See, it would have been a great match if it had happened.