SINGAPORE - The Lions will undergo a training camp in Dubai from Nov 8-17 in preparation for the AFF Suzuki Cup, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced on Tuesday (Nov 2).
While the Dec 5-Jan 1 Suzuki Cup will be staged in the Republic, Tatsuma Yoshida's men are going abroad in search of quality opposition for tune-up matches.
They will play world No. 96 side Kyrgyzstan on Nov 11 in an official 'A' international - where each side is limited to six substitutions and appearances count towards caps - before playing the Morocco 'A' side in an unofficial friendly match on Nov 16.
The main Morocco national team are ranked 29th in the world, but the team Singapore will play is one that comprises exclusively of players from the African nation's domestic league.
This team represent Morocco at the African Nations Championship - not to be confused with the Africa Cup of Nations - and have won the last two editions of the tournament, in 2018 and 2020.
Yoshida said in a media statement that the 160th-ranked Lions are grateful to the Government and FAS for arranging the training camp amidst the pandemic and aim to make the most of the opportunity.
The Singapore team travelling are fully vaccinated, and therefore are not required to serve a quarantine upon arriving in the United Arab Emirates.
However, as the Middle East nation is not currently among the list of those in Singapore's Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme, it is understood the Lions will have to follow a "controlled itinerary" upon their return to Singapore.
This will be similar to the one they were in after they returned from three World Cup qualifying games in Saudi Arabia in June, when they were placed in a bubble with strict restrictions on movement which allowed them to train while serving quarantine.
Said Yoshida: "This camp will provide us with the opportunity to play against international opponents, which is very important for us as part of our preparations.
"I hope the level of play will be high and it will be a very good opportunity for us to sharpen our match play.
"Some players who will be joining us in Dubai, like Safuwan (Baharudin, based in Malaysia) and Ikhsan (Fandi, based in Norway), have not been with us for almost two years and we are looking forward to having them back.
"In Dubai we will be able to assess their conditions and also have the entire team spend time together for 10 days to train, play and bond."
Yoshida had previously declared he is eyeing silverware at the Suzuki Cup, which will be his first tournament since being appointed Lions coach in May 2019. Singapore are four-time champions but are looking for their first triumph in the regional tournament since 2012.
The Japanese coach said that centralised training, which commenced on Oct 25 with eight sessions per week until Saturday, has been "positive" and praised his players for their "behaviour and attitude".
He added that the Dubai trip will help the team move into the next stage of their preparations, focusing on match-day scenarios and getting the players' mindsets refreshed and recharged ahead of the Suzuki Cup.
In the biennial regional tournament, the Lions are in Group A with record five-time champions Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines and either Brunei or Timor Leste.
Group B, meanwhile, comprises defending champions Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos and Cambodia.
The top two teams from each group progress to the semi-finals.
