Geylang International fans heaved a huge sigh of relief two Saturdays ago (August 10) when they watched their beloved team put in a dominant display against Young Lions and came away with a comfortable 3-0 league win.
"After the previous loss to Hougang United, I'm relieved that the squad had bounced back with a victory," says diehard fan Abdul Rahman.
Joining him on the grandstand of Jalan Besar Stadium that evening was Muhammad Dinie.
The fellow supporter - who counts Ahmad Syahir as his favourite Eagles player - is delighted with the all-round action that is put on show by his heroes in green. "I'm grateful for the brilliant performance. We got to see our attacking duo Tomoyuki Doi and Vincent Bezecourt wrecking havoc at the Young Lions defence."
Also thanking the Geylang backline, he acknowledges, "Shout-out to the defensive players for earning our second cleansheet of the season."
The Young Lions fixture had also shown fans a glimpse of Geylang's future, as head coach Noor Ali - in face of a mounting injury crisis - handed 20-year-old Jake Ellenberger his professional debut.
As pointed out by Dinie, "Great to witness Jake making his bow for the Eagles. While his appearance is a short one, what lies ahead for the club with this young talent holds much promise."
In the meantime, Geylang have a more immediate priority to attend to: overcome the challenge of Brunei DPMM at Jalan Besar Stadium this Saturday (August 24).
Despite being the second-lowest scoring side in the Singapore Premier League, the eighth-placed Wasps - who are on a nine-game winless streak - boast credible attackers that can hurt Noor's squad.
"We must be wary of Hakeme Yazid and Julio Cruz," warns Dinie of the duo who have contributed six of their team's 15 goals this campaign.
As also proven in an earlier encounter between the two clubs in June, the Wasps are capable of stinging their opponents even when their backs are to the wall. Staring at a two-goal deficit plus a man down with half-and-hour to go, the plucky Bruneian outfit still managed to mount a fightback and stunned the Eagles with a 3-3 draw.
Rahman, in his plea to the Geylang players, hopes for past lessons to be drawn. "No mistakes like the first round away at Brunei, please."
If Noor could get his charges in order, both Rahman and Dinie are in unison that a home victory for the third-placed side is within reach.
"I hope the team have identified the gaps and continue to improve. I expect nothing less than a win," says Rahman.
For fellow supporter Dinie, he predicts a narrow 2-1 Eagles triumph. "I'm banking on Ryoya, Vincent or Doi to be among the goalscorers," he adds in hope.
Team news: "When it rains, it pours." This is an apt expression to describe the brewing injury crisis facing Noor Ali.
After losing Huzaifah Aziz to a long-term anterior cruciate ligament injury, and Iqbal Hussain and Rio Sakuma during the Hougang fixture with concussion and torn thigh muscles respectively, more misfortune is to befall when Akmal Azman picked up an ankle injury and was stretchered off in the previous Young Lions game.
A glimmer of hope is that Iqbal and Sakuma may be able to play, with their availability depending on a late fitness test.
Player to watch: Takahiro Tezuka - The ability to control the midfield would be key to the hopes of a Geylang victory. The Japanese defensive midfielder will play an important role in dictating the pace of the game with his passes as well as breaking up any Wasps' dangerous attacking moves.
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