The first five rounds of fixtures for the league have been released, with the rest due to be available by the end of this week.
 |
By Khalis Rifhan khalis.rifhan@goal.com @KhalisRifhan |
The much-awaited 2013 S.League fixtures have been released, albeit only for the first five rounds, as twelve clubs prepare to battle for the crown starting from next week.
The new Great Eastern-YEO’s S.League season will kick-off on February 15 with the annual Great Eastern Charity Shield between defending champions Tampines Rovers and Warriors FC (formerly known as Singapore Armed Forces FC), who won the 2012 RHB Singapore Cup.
This clash sees both Cup finalists facing off against each other again in the familiar setting of the Jalan Besar Stadium, with the match kicking off at 7.30p.m.
The opening match proper will see the young and energetic Courts Young Lions, with an average age of just 20, going up against Hougang United at Jalan Besar Stadium on Wednesday, February 20 while Geylang International host Tampines at the Bedok Stadium concurrently.
The clash of the first round will certainly be between Home United and Brunei DPMM, who both take to the field in Bishan one day later, as Woodlands Wellington play Warriors FC in the other fixture for the night.
Coach Lee Lim Saeng has retained only five players from the previous season as he leads the Protectors to challenge for honours this season, while DPMM have brought in a number of prominent foreign players.
The Bruneian club have signed former AEK Athens midfielder, Dino Drpic who will be joined by Portuguese striker Joao Moreira and Guadeloupean captain Stephane Auvray.
The first round of games will culminate with the first 'LIVE' match of the season between Tanjong Pagar United and 2012 League Cup Plate winners Balestier Khalsa at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday, February 22.
Another set of Tigers will be in action on the same day at Pasir Gudang Stadium in Johor, Malaysia as Razip Ismail’s Harimau Muda ‘B’ host Koichi Sugiyama’s Albirex Niigata (S). Matches at Pasir Gudang will be played at 845pm, a standard kick-off timing for football matches in Malaysia.
Apart from domestic concerns, both Tampines and Warriors will be Singapore’s representatives in the regional AFC Asian Cup and have been drawn in Group H and E respectively.
Warriors will travel to Indonesia to take on Semen Padang on March 6 while Tampines host Vietnamese side Sai Gon Xuan Thanh at Jalan Besar Stadium one day later.
DPMM will be given time off from the league in late March as the national team will be preparing for the upcoming 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers from March 22 till March 26.
Match Week 1
|
Date |
Match |
Venue |
|
Feb 20, Wed |
Courts Young Lions vs Hougang United |
Jalan Besar Stadium |
|
Geylang International vs Tampines Rovers |
Bedok Stadium |
|
|
Feb 21, Thur |
Home United vs Brunei DPMM |
Bishan Stadium |
|
Woodlands Wellington vs Warriors FC |
Woodlands Stadium |
|
|
Feb 22, Fri |
Tanjong Pagar vs Balestier Khalsa |
Jalan Besar Stadium (LIVE) |
|
Harimau Muda vs Albirex Niigata (S) |
Pasir Gudang (845pm) |
Match Week 2
|
Date |
Match |
Venue |
|
Feb 26, Tue |
Balestier Khalsa vs Geylang International |
Toa Payoh Stadium |
|
Woodlands Wellington vs Harimau Muda |
Woodlands Stadium |
|
|
Feb 27, Wed |
Warriors FC vs Tanjong Pagar |
Choa Chu Kang Stadium |
|
Feb 28, Thur |
Tampines Rovers vs Courts Young Lions |
Clementi Stadium |
|
Mar 1, Fri |
Albirex Niigata (S) vs Home United |
Jalan Besar Stadium (LIVE) |
|
Brunei DPMM vs Hougang United |
Bandar Seri Begawan |
Match Week 3
|
Date |
Match |
Venue |
|
Mar 5, Tue |
Home United vs Woodlands Wellington |
Bishan Stadium |
|
Tanjong Pagar vs Harimau Muda |
Queenstown Stadium |
|
|
Mar 7, Thur |
Courts Young Lions vs Brunei DPMM |
Jalan Besar Stadium |
|
Mar 8, Fri |
Hougang United vs Albirex Niigata (S) |
Jalan Besar Stadium (LIVE) |
Match Week 4
|
Date |
Match |
Venue |
|
Mar 10, Sun |
Harimau Muda vs Geylang International |
Pasir Gudang |
|
Mar 11, Mon |
Albirex Niigta (S) vs Brunei DPMM |
Jurong East Stadium |
|
Mar 13, Wed |
Balestier Khalsa vs Courts Young Lions |
Toa Payoh Stadium |
|
Mar 14, Thur |
Tanjong Pagar vs Home United |
Queenstown Stadium |
|
Mar 15, Fri |
Woodlands Wellington vs Hougang United |
Jalan Besar Stadium (LIVE) |
|
Mar 16, Sat |
Geylang International vs Warriors FC |
Bedok Stadium |
|
Mar 17, Sun |
Tampines Rovers vs Balestier Khalsa |
Clementi Stadium |
Match Week 5
|
Date |
Match |
Venue |
|
Mar 20, Wed |
Courts Young Lions vs Albirex Niigata (S) |
Jalan Besar Stadium |
|
Mar 21, Thur |
Warriors FC vs Tampines Rovers |
Choa Chu Kang Stadium |
|
Mar 22, Fri |
Hougang United vs Tanjong Pagar |
Jalan Besar Stadium (LIVE) |
|
Mar 23, Sat |
Geylang International vs Home United |
Bedok Stadium |
|
Mar 24, Sun |
Balestier Khalsa vs Warriors FC |
Toa Payoh Stadium |
|
Tampines Rovers vs Harimau Muda |
Clementi Stadium |
