BG Tampines Rovers eager to create history while Lion City Sailors look to repeat feat as new ACL 2 season beckons

SINGAPORE – With three goals and an assist in three matches, BG Tampines Rovers forward Trent Buhagiar has hit the ground running for his new club.

And while those three matches have yielded two wins, a draw and a piece of silverware in the form of the Community Shield, the 27-year-old Malta international is only just revving up his engine.

With a healthy record of seven goals in 12 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League matches in the 2020 and 2022 seasons for Sydney FC, the speedy Buhagiar could be the catalyst that Tampines need for a deep run in Asia.

The last time the Stags advanced to the knockout stage of a continental competition was in 2016, when they reached the AFC Cup quarter-finals.

The second-tier Asian club tournament is now known as the AFC Champions League Two (ACL 2) following its revamp in 2024.

The Stags’ second ACL 2 campaign starts on Sept 18 against the 2024-25 Philippines Football League champions Kaya-Iloilo at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium.

Continental action improves players as it is more demanding, said Buhagiar, who joined Tampines from Azerbaijani side Kapaz PFK in June.

“It’s more technical, it’s more intense, and obviously, you got to raise your game,” added the wide forward.

“You are always tested, and you learn from these games, and it makes you a better player. So as a team, we’re really looking forward to these games and hopefully, we’ll do well.”

In their 2024-25 campaign, Tampines did not advance to the knockout phase after finishing third in their group, behind Thailand’s Bangkok United and Vietnam’s Nam Dinh FC.

This time, the Stags are in Group H with South Korea’s Pohang Steelers, Thai powerhouses BG Pathum United and Kaya-Iloilo.

Buhagiar added: “I think if we play well and play together as a team, we can beat anyone in this group. Obviously, it’s a tough group, a few good teams in there, but we back our own quality.

“And if we show up on the day and play as a team, we can beat anyone.”

Tampines coach Noh Rahman, who led the Stags to a

3-0 Singapore Premier League win over Tanjong Pagar United

in his first match in charge on Sept 13 after the club mutually parted ways with Akbar Nawas, described Buhagiar as a “very important addition” who has “definitely improved the team in terms of our attacking threat”.

While he described progression to the knockout stage as “massive”, Noh, who did not specify a target, said: “We want to go into every game thinking that we have a chance to win.”

Meanwhile, Singapore’s other representative in the competition and last season’s ACL 2 finalists Lion City Sailors, are hoping for another historic run as they start with an away fixture against Indonesia Liga 1 champions Persib Bandung at the Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium on Sept 18.

The SPL champions are in Group G with three fellow South-east Asian sides – Thai League 1 runners-up Bangkok United, Malaysia Super League runners-up Selangor FC and Persib.

Last season, the SPL’s only privatised side became the first Singaporean outfit to reach the final of a major Asian club competition, where they

lost 2-1 to the United Arab Emirates’ Sharjah FC

in front of a capacity crowd of 9,737 at the Bishan Stadium in May.

The Sailors’ unprecedented voyage to the final started with them topping their group ahead of Thai League 1 club Port FC, Chinese Super League side Zhejiang Professional and Persib in the ACL 2’s inaugural season.

Captain Hariss Harun hopes for a similar run this time, but warned against complacency.

The 34-year-old said: “We are very excited to start this campaign. We are not taking things for granted in our group. Last season, it was something wonderful for our club, and we hope we can go on such a run and even do one better this season.

“But first, we need to think of getting out of the group stage.”

The Sailors will also be looking for revenge in their first continental outing of the season, as they did not win either of their group matches against Persib in the 2024-25 tournament, drawing 1-1 away and suffering a 3-2 defeat at home.

Persib have strengthened their side with new signings such as Dutch-born Indonesia internationals Thom Haye and Eliano Reijnders, the younger brother of Manchester City midfielder Tijjani. They have also signed Argentinian midfielder Luciano Guaycochea, who is the cousin of Argentinian international and Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.

Said Hariss: “Persib are league champions for a reason and if you compare their squad to last season, they have made significant reinforcements and are probably better.

“We have a chance to set things right (after last season’s results) and it is a chance to set the tone for this new season.”