Friday evening’s televised clash between newcomers, Liaoning Guangyuan and Home United, at Jalan Besar Stadium, is a game ripe with possibilities.
Given the way the new Chinese team approached their last game against the Young Lions on the same ground a week ago, fireworks can be expected.
As the home side for this game, Liaoning should use that first experience on the artificial surface to advantage, when they face a Home United team yet to find their rhythm after some major personnel changes at Bishan Stadium since the end of last season.
Unfortunately an injury to striker, Li Xinyu, who missed the second half last week, has rather handicapped them for this important clash against one of the title favourites.
The new side was very impressive at various stages of the game against the Young Lions, but could not sustain their momentum and conceded two goals in the second half to disappoint their growing army of fans.
Scoreless at the break they came out firing in that game and stunned the Young Lions with two rapid-fire goals once they took the field again but mistakes saw them surrender what was an unlikely lead.
If they can produce anything like the same flair here then we may see them pick up their first point or points of the season.
Unlike in their previous encounter coach Ding Zhe will take a more cautious approach.
“The Young Lions were different,” he said.
“We will make sure we keep things tight in defence, at least in the first half, before we open up later in the game.
”We know how strong Home United are and even though we heard that two of their players are injured (Forward Qiu Li is one) we will still pay them a lot of respect.”
Ding was not planning to change his formation at all, merely to absorb the loss of Li Xinyu and continue with his team’s preparation accordingly.
Home United, for their part, come into the game with a solid win behind them against another newcomer, the Korean Super Reds, the 5-1 victory a fair reflection of their clear superiority in that match.
This may be a tougher test, however, as this Liaoning side has two games under its belt and lessons should have been learned.
Home may have the luxury of a lot of depth on the bench and can carry the absence of their star signing, Kengne Ludovick, who has barely put in any game-time since the start of the SingTel Cup.
Kone Hamed has been the star thus far, taking the heat off Ludovick and dazzling with his trickery first seen in the colours of Chonburi in the Asian competition last year,
Along with Goh Swee Swee, who has also looked very lively up front, when given his chances recently, Hamed has opened a few eyes already and is likely to be quite a handful for a Liaoning defence still getting accustomed to the pace of the S League.
It is some 12 days since The Protectors have strutted their stuff and the first game of their campaign was hardly a true test for Vincent Subramaniam’s boys.
Indra has been looking good up front and the defence seems to be shaping up fairly well with new signing, Diakite Fode Bangaly, slotting in well beside veteran and skipper S Subramani.
The pair still has to polish their understanding together, but should soon settle down and form an impenetrable barrier to any predatory forces.
1X2 = HOME UNITED WIN
HANDICAP = LIAONING +1.5
FIRST HALF = TG OVER 1.5
PICK THE SCORE = HOME UNITED WIN 3-2 , 2-1
16th March 2007: Liaoning Guangyuan FC VS Home United
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