Tampines Rovers vs Albirex Niigata

Tampines Stadium forms the backdrop for a top-table Singapore Premier League six-pointer between Tampines Rovers and Albirex Niigata.

Tampines Rovers’ pursuit of a first Singapore Premier League title since 2013 got back on the rails with a 2-0 home triumph over Hougang United last time out as they bounced back from a 1-1 draw at Lion City. With three points separating them from top-placed Albirex Niigata at the start of this round, securing a third consecutive H2H victory would fire the ‘Stags’ to the summit. Gavin Lee’s men can draw confidence from winning their last three home league outings ‘to nil’ following an action-packed 3-2 defeat to Balestier Khalsa in March. Prolificacy has been one of Tampines’ most lethal weapons this season, especially at home, where they have netted at least two goals in five of their last six league matches.

In the meantime, visiting Albirex Niigata hammered Tanjong Pagar 4-0 at home last time out, extending their impressive winning streak in the Singapore Premier League to four games. Each win in that streak came by multi-goal margins, with Albirex scoring 3+ goals on three occasions, higlhighting the potential for a high-scoring affair as was the case in their most recent visit to Tampines when they lost 5-3. In fact, four of their last five top-flight H2Hs have seen over 4.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet. The ‘White Swans’ should be confident about holding up their end of the bargain after bagging 2+ goals on all six Singapore Premier League travels this season (W5, L1), at an average of 3.83 per match.