Young Lions vs Hougang United

Dead-last Young Lions and mid-table Hougang United are set to trade tackles in a low-profile Singapore Premier League fixture at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

It’s been a nightmarish start to the new Singapore Premier League season for Young Lions. Only 11 rounds into the new league campaign, they are already the hottest relegation candidates after picking up just one win (D1, L9). A 4-1 thumping of Geylang International in mid-April already looks like a remote memory, as they’ve lost four of their five top-flight games since (D1) by an aggregate score of 11-3. Nailed to the bottom of the standings, Young Lions are the only side in the league yet to hit a 10-point milestone (4). It’s hard to find a silver lining for Nazri Nasir’s side, given that they’ve lost all three previous top-flight H2Hs at home, scoring three goals while conceding nine in return.

As for visiting Hougang United, an embarrassing 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Albirex Niigata last time out brought their three-match unbeaten league streak to a halt (W1, D2). More importantly, it marked their second scoring blank in three Premier League fixtures, underlining Hougang’s growing attacking woes. Indeed, the ‘Cheetahs’ have bagged under 1.5 goals in their last four away league matches, which has been the case in their most recent visit to Young Lions. Particularly uneventful in the early stages of play, they’ve scored just a single first-half goal in six top-flight fixtures on hostile turf.