Albirex Niigata’s Shingo Nakano aims high as they face holders Lion City Sailors

SINGAPORE – With four goals in the opening three games, Albirex Niigata striker Shingo Nakano has picked up from where he left off in the Singapore Premier League, topping the scoring chart of the 2025-26 campaign along with three others.

Last season, the Japanese racked up 24 goals to finish joint-third in the race for the Golden Boot despite being

a late addition

to Albirex’s squad.

Expressing dissatisfaction with that haul, the 20-year-old is eyeing the big prize this time around.

“I’m trying to be the top scorer this season,” said Nakano, who has set a 30-goal target for himself.

“Last year, I was third in the table, but I feel I could have scored more.”

A second successive prolific season could also help him achieve another lofty target, which is to play in stronger leagues such as those in Thailand, Japan or South Korea, before making his way to Europe.

He had been keen to

take his talents abroad

at the end of last season, but the move did not materialise.

“I got a couple of offers from overseas, but it’s not like, 100 per cent (guaranteed to) play,” he explained.

“It was not like, ‘I want to get Shingo’. It was more of, ‘I want to get a striker’, so that means I can play, but I’m not guaranteed to be a starter.

“So that’s why I decided I’ll play one more season here.”

This season has also seen Nakano shoulder additional responsibility, taking over the captain’s armband.

With him leading by example up front, Albirex assistant coach Jaswinder Singh hopes the sharpshooter can inspire the White Swans to victory when they take on defending champions Lion City Sailors at Bishan Stadium on Oct 27.

Noting that Nakano scored a brace in a 3-1 win over the Sailors last season, Singh said: “He’s definitely somebody that Sailors have an eye on, and we are going to depend on him a lot more as well.

“I think he’s going to light it up (this season). He’s very important to all of us. He’s also our captain, so he leads from the front.”

Having finished a disappointing sixth out of nine teams last season, six-time champions Albirex will be hoping to build on their positive start to the new campaign, which has seen them garner two wins and a draw from three games.

The Sailors have a perfect record with 12 points after four games, and the White Swans, who are five points behind with a game in hand, will need a win on Oct 27 to keep pace with the leaders.

Both sides are still unbeaten, but while Albirex have scored eight goals in three matches, the Sailors have chalked up 19 goals in four games, the league’s highest tally by a considerable margin.

Striker Lennart Thy and winger Maxime Lestienne have both matched Nakano’s tally of four goals, with Lestienne also boasting four assists.

Both sides are also miserly at the back, having conceded only two goals each.

Singh noted that both goals that they let in came from set pieces, with none from open play yet.

“We also have a bit of a streak going, so maybe it’s a good defence against a good attack on Monday,” he added.

Nakano believes the key to defeating the Sailors lies in working harder, saying: “We have people who can run, that’s our strength. We have to work harder than them.

“We cannot make a big improvement to our skill right now.

“So that’s why we have to focus on what we can do (outwork them).”

While the Sailors beat Albirex thrice in four league meetings last season, coach Aleksandar Rankovic acknowledged that the White Swans are an improved side.

“It’s a better squad with better players, especially with some of these Japanese players that they’ve brought in,” said Rankovic, whose men lost 1-0 to Bangkok United in an Asian Football Confederation Champions League Two (ACL2) game on Oct 23.

“They don’t concede many goals and they have really good quality up front, so it’s not going to be an easy game. We have to be sharp.”

Hougang United v BG Tampines Rovers (Oct 27, 7.30pm, Our Tampines Hub)

After a slow start with three points from their opening four games, Hougang United will be looking to end their poor run.

But they face a tough challenge against BG Tampines Rovers (W1 D2 L0), who would surely have taken confidence from a

1-0 win

over South Korean giants Pohang Steelers in the ACL2 on Oct 23.