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THE goal: A spot in the final round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers.
The target: A minimum of four points from Singapore's next three matches.
National coach Raddy Avramovic set his Lions that task yesterday, a day after their 2-0 win over Lebanon.
The win gave the Lions their first points in the third round of qualifiers.
With one win, one loss and four matches remaining, the Lions - currently second with three points and occupying one of the two qualification spots in Group 4 - are on track for a place in the next round and a date with Asia's top 10 nations.
But standing in their way are last year's Asian Cup finalists Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, who beat the Saudis 3-0 on Wednesday.
While Avramovic is under no illusions about the challenge ahead, he is confident that one, if not both, can be beaten.
'We need to at least win one and draw one,' said the Lions coach of the matches against Uzbekistan on June 2 (home) and June 7 (away) and Saudi Arabia on June 14 (home).
Singapore will play their final match on June 22 against Lebanon (away).
'It's not an impossible task.'
Uzbekistan's thumping win over Saudi Arabia, who were in the 2006 World Cup finals, has made them the new favourites to top Group 4.
That would likely mean Singapore having to edge out the Saudis to progress.
Striker Aleksandar Duric shares his coach's optimism, saying: 'When we lost 0-2 to the Saudis last month, we were still in pre-season and weren't fully match-fit.
'Everyone saw what we are capable of against Lebanon now that our domestic league has started.
'With the next matches in June, we can only get better.'
Duric, who scored the opening goal in Wednesday's win, admitted that the Lions could have been more deadly in front of goal.
He was also guilty of missing second-half chances, first hitting the post and then just failing to connect with Khairul Amri's cross.
With the Lions leading the Saudis only on goal difference, those misses could prove costly in June.
Said Duric: 'But it was encouraging that we created so many chances. That is always a good sign that a team is playing well.'
The Lions can also take heart from the fact that confidence in the Saudi camp is low, with their Brazilian coach Helio dos Anjos under pressure.
He said: 'I'm not thinking about resignation because this is part of my job and they could sack me any day.''
The Lions will warm up with a friendly against Bahrain in May.
Said Avramovic: 'We will have to find a way for the team to get together more often in May.
'We need the understanding of the S-League. The Chinese were in a camp from March 3 to prepare for their game against Australia on Wednesday. Same with Uzbekistan.
'Having four matches in 20 days is good because the team will stay focused. But we need time to prepare.
'The performance against Lebanon was one of the best I have seen from the national team. We have a good chance of doing something in June.'
marclim@sph.com.sg
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