Lions all ready to roar

Desert-like conditions and the absence of key men - Singapore's footballers could be forgiven for approaching next week's World Cup Group D qualifiers with a defeatist attitude.

But, in reality, the Lions are raring to go. After all, their last outing as a national team was in November 2019, a 2-1 away win against Yemen in a World Cup qualifier.

Tatsuma Yoshida's men, who arrived in Dubai on Tuesday for a centralised training camp, will play Afghanistan today in a training match at the JA Sports Centre, where temperatures are expected to hit 37 deg C before kick-off.

They hope the match will help them to adjust to the conditions before next week's qualifiers in Riyadh, where the temperature is expected to be more than 40 deg C.

The Lions will travel to Riyadh tomorrow to face Group D opponents Palestine next Thursday, Uzbekistan (June 7) and hosts Saudi Arabia (June 11).

Goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, 37, said: "Our last game was more than a year ago and, if you ask any of the players, they will tell you that they can't wait to get going again.

"The weather and everything else are just things we have to take in our stride. We have had a few sessions here to help us get adjusted to the conditions.

"It'll be tough but every player here is determined to go into the matches with a mindset of giving everything we have."

Besides the weather, the Lions have also had to cope with the risks and restrictions associated with travelling during the pandemic.

Precautions include having the players, who usually stay in pairs when overseas, in single rooms. They interact only during meal times and training sessions.

M. Anumanthan, who plays for Kedah in the Malaysian Super League, has brought along his PlayStation 5 and spends his free time playing video games.

The midfielder, 26, said: "The mood here is really positive and everyone is eager to play.

"It's easy to talk about the negatives... but it's also important to note that this is also a chance to have a fresh state of mind for the local-based players, especially because they've been stuck in Singapore for some time.

"It's not a bad idea to be away to represent the country.

"It's a situation we have to adapt to and overcome. We don't always get what we want in life. What we can do is to give our best and fight hard to get good results in the matches while we are here."

Yoshida will be without at least four key members against Afghanistan - injured duo Ikhsan Fandi and Safuwan Baharudin, skipper Hariss Harun and experienced defender Baihakki Khaizan.

But Hariss and Baihakki will join the squad in Riyadh next week, as they were given permission to arrive later due to personal reasons.

But, like his charges, Yoshida, 46, is unfazed by the challenges ahead.

The Japanese said the mood in camp has been great, adding: "The Afghanistan match is a good one for us to look at a few options in attack. We don't have a like-for-like replacement for Ikhsan but we have players with different abilities and skill sets.

"I want our players to take the initiative in the match even as they build up their match fitness."

After five games, the Lions are third with seven points, behind leaders Saudi Arabia (11) and Uzbekistan (nine).

The group winners and the best four runners-up from the eight groups qualify for the Asian Cup and progress to the third round of qualifying for next year's World Cup. But the remaining teams can still qualify for the Asian Cup via various other permutations.