Tanjong Pagar vs Tampines Rovers

Jurong East Stadium plays host to Tanjong Pagar’s first home game in the 2023 Singapore Premier League season as Tampines Rovers come to town.

Tanjong Pagar got the new Singapore Premier League season off to a sluggish start, falling to a dismal 3-1 defeat at last season’s runners-up Lion City on matchday one. Bringing the 2022 campaign into the equation, the ‘Jaguars’ have alternated between losing (3) and winning (2) in their last five competitive outings, with each game in that sequence seeing over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet. A long-awaited return t the Jurong East Stadium could offer some comfort to head coach Hasrin Jailani, whose men have racked up four wins in their last five home matches (L1). Interestingly, each of those four victories came ‘to one,’ suggesting Tanjong shouldn’t be overly concerned even if they concede first.

In the meantime, visiting Tampines Rovers fought back from an early deficit to hold Geylang International to a 1-1 home draw in a curtain-raising fixture, showing no signs of recovery following last season’s underwhelming fourth-place finish. Playing away from home won’t increase their chances either, with the ‘Stags’ losing two of their last three competitive games on the road by a single-goal margin (W1). Interestingly, since an action-packed 2-2 draw at Balestier Khalsa in July, none of Tampines’ subsequent eight league matches on hostile turf have ended level (W5, L3). Only two of those eight fixtures saw the winner on the day keep a clean sheet, underlining the potential for a ‘goal-friendly’ contest.