Sundram eyes Barclays Asia Trophy ‘boost’ ahead of Syria clash

SINGAPORE — The Barclays Asia Trophy may be a pre-season warm-up for three visiting English clubs, but a strong performance by the Singapore Selection will give national players involved in the quadrangular tournament a much-needed lift ahead of the resumption of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Yesterday, the Football Association of Singapore announced a 23-strong Singapore Selection side to be led by head coach V Sundramoorthy.

It will comprise mainly of Singapore national team players, including goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud, defender Safuwan Baharudin, winger Gabriel Quak and forward Khairul Amri, as well as four foreign players from the S-League.

Singapore lead Group E of the 2018 World Cup Asian qualifying zone after a 4-0 win over Cambodia and a shock goalless draw against four-time Asian champions Japan last month.

The Lions’ next qualifier is against Syria on Sept 3 at a neutral venue, but Sundramoorthy believes a strong showing at the Barclays Asia Trophy, which will include English Premier League sides Arsenal, Everton and Stoke City, can have a positive effect on the national players in the World Cup qualifiers.

“The Singapore players will be entering the Barclays Asia Trophy with confidence especially after the 0-0 draw with Japan,” said Sundramoorthy. “If they perform well in the two matches, it will give them another good boost for our next World Cup qualifying match against Syria.

“Most of the national team players in my squad are also young and still developing, so this is a big opportunity for them to perform, and to express themselves in front of a big home crowd will not only be a huge source of motivation for them, but will also benefit Singapore football and the national team.”

The Singapore Selection, skippered by Singapore national captain Shahril Ishak, will face Arsenal on July 15, with Everton and Stoke meeting in the other match on the same day at the National Stadium. The third place playoff and final will be held at the same venue on July 18.

The four foreign players from the S-League are Home United defender Sirina Camara, Tampines Rovers forward Rodrigo Tosi, Warriors FC midfielder Nicholas Velez and Geylang International defender Kento Fukuda.

It will be the first time that Singapore is staging the Barclays Asia Trophy, which has been held biennially since 2003 in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and China. NOAH TAN