After a two-week break for the FIFA international window, the Lion City Sailors will return to action on Saturday (14 September) with an away Singapore Premier League (SPL) clash against bottom-placed Tanjong Pagar United at Jurong East Stadium.
The match will kickstart a hectic run of six games in 20 days, concluding with an away trip to Bangkok, Thailand, to face Port FC in the second matchday of the 2024/25 Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two Group Stage on 3 October.
In between are crucial matches across three competitions – the SPL, ACL Two and ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup – before the October international window begins.
Despite the demanding schedule, Sailors defender Bailey Wright is relishing the challenge, and has emphasised the need to ‘take each game as it comes’.
“It may sound like a cliché, but it’s true – the most important game is always the next one, and right now, it’s the one against Tanjong Pagar. It’s a long season which hasn’t even reached its halfway mark, so we’re not thinking about how many games we have to play,” insisted the 32-year-old.
“Each competition is important to us, and we want to represent the club in the best possible way.”
With the recent international break serving as a chance for the Sailors to recalibrate after a few less-than-ideal results in August, Bailey is confident that his side is now equipped to deliver a better report card this month.
“The break has given us the opportunity to build as a team on the training ground and work on some little details. Obviously, our previous results haven’t been what we expected from ourselves, so we have to do better,” said the former Sunderland captain.
“It’s quite straightforward – we’re focusing on being more compact defensively and giving fewer opportunities to the opposition. At the other end of the pitch, we need to keep creating chances and finish them.
“The most important thing is the players look fresh and fit; we’re all energised and ready for the run of games ahead.”
While the Sailors emerged 3-0 victors in their first meeting with Tanjong Pagar earlier in July, Bailey acknowledged that the Jaguars could be tricky opponents — especially with their recent change in Head Coach from Hasrin Jailani to Hyrizan Jufri just over a week ago.
The 53-year-old Hyrizan brings vast experience from the domestic football scene, having held roles at both the professional and grassroots level.
“Any team that changes a coach will have a different playing style and it’s hard for us to predict how they’ll set up. For us, we’re focused on translating what we’ve practised in training into the game, and we know where we can hurt them,” said Bailey who was on the scoresheet in the last encounter against the Jaguars.
“The confidence levels among the boys are high, and we want to get a win before we head into the ACL Two competition next week.”
