Fresh off their Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two exit, the Lion City Sailors are determined to put things right on the continental stage as they shift their focus to the ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Shopee Cup. Their bid to rebound begins with a Group B Matchday Three clash against Myanmar outfit Shan United on Wednesday (17 December).

Back on familiar turf

The Sailors return to the newly returfed Jalan Besar Stadium – now fitted with a natural playing surface – for their first home tie of the competition. The venue holds special significance for the club, having hosted their continental assignments over the past two seasons, including the historic run to the 2024/25 ACL Two Final.

With just one point from their opening two Shopee Cup matches, the Sailors will be looking to tap into those memories and deliver a decisive response on Wednesday in what is shaping to be a must-win encounter.

But the Sailors’ opponents are no pushovers. Shan United are Myanmar’s joint-most decorated club, having won six of the last seven Myanmar National League (MNL) titles since 2017. They have also gone three seasons without a league defeat, with their 83-game unbeaten run standing as the longest in MNL history.

It has been a different story for Shan United on the continental front, however, with back-to-back 3-0 defeats in the Shopee Cup against Preah Khan Reach (PKR) Svay Rieng and Nam Định leaving them bottom of Group B.

Shan United manager Han Win Aung, himself a two-time MNL champion, acknowledged that his side have struggled with the step up in quality at regional level.

“There is a difference in level between our domestic and regional competitions, as there are a lot more foreigners here, so the quality is higher,” he said.

“It will be difficult for us, as most of the teams are champions of their respective leagues, but the team is prepared to give their best tomorrow.”

Interestingly, this is not the first time Shan United have played in Singapore. They came up against Home United  – the Sailors’ previous iteration – twice in the group stage of the 2018 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup before the competition was revamped as ACL Two, including a 3-2 defeat at Jalan Besar in April 2018. 

Jalan Besar is also familiar territory for six of Shan United’s Myanmar internationals, all of whom featured in a 3-2 loss to Singapore there in December 2022.

Among them is full-back Hein Phyo Win and current captain Nanda Kyaw (pictured below), who was sent off in that encounter against the Lions. 

Headlining Shan United’s foreign contingent is forward Jordan Hamilton, a former Canadian international who previously played in Major League Soccer (MLS) for Columbus Crew SC and Toronto FC, and has won two MLS Cups and three Canadian Championships.

He is joined by Japanese full-back Yuki Aizu – who took part in last season’s FIFA Intercontinental Cup with New Zealand’s Auckland City FC – along with compatriot winger Ryuji Hirota.

Completing the cast are the Brazilian trio of winger Matheus Souza, centre-back Maurício and forward Efrain Rintaro. Ghanaian attacking midfielder Mark Sekyi is ruled out due to suspension.

Gunning for the three points

Like Shan United, the Sailors have endured a less-than-ideal start to their Shopee Cup campaign. They fell 3-1 to Johor Darul Ta’zim before holding Bangkok United to a 2-2 draw  – both on away soil.

Now sitting fourth in the group, Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković knows his side have little margin for error as they chase one of the two semi-final qualification spots.

“Just like in the ACL Two, we’re in a very tough group with high-quality opposition. These are the kinds of matches we want to be involved in every year to help us improve,” said Ranko.

“We’ve prepared seriously for this game and analysed them thoroughly. The group is still open, so we will do our best to take three points and put ourselves in a strong position to qualify for the semi-finals.”

Back-to-back continental victories against Persib Bandung and Selangor FC in the ACL Two, along with a dominant win over Balestier Khalsa in the first leg of the Singapore Cup semi-finals, have given the Sailors strong momentum heading into the match.

And flying full-back Diogo Costa, who has featured in all but one of the Sailors’ games this season, believes the team are well placed to carry that form into the Shopee Cup.

“We know how difficult the Shopee Cup can be, but we’re used to such challenges and all of us are confident in our qualities. All of us know we are capable of competing and getting the win, so that will be our objective,” said Diogo.

Returning to Jalan Besar will provide a boost for the Sailors, where their form is traditionally strong at. They were also unbeaten in both Shopee Cup matches played there last season, as they beat Kuala Lumpur (KL) City 2-0 and drew 0-0 with Buriram United.

The team will especially relish the stadium’s intimate setting, which brings them closer to their home fans as they look to close out the year on a high.

“We’re very excited to be back at Jalan Besar, as it holds many great memories for us. Playing there gives us an extra boost as its compact nature allows us to be close to the fans,” said Ranko.

“We hope the supporters can come out in big numbers and back us as they always do. The team is ready to give everything on the pitch.”