SINGAPORE (27 Sept 2019) – Singapore national coach Tatsuma Yoshida has named his 23-strong squad to face Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan in their third and fourth Group D matches of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2023 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 campaign next month.
The Japanese has made two changes from the squad that drew with Yemen and beat Palestine in their opening two matches earlier this month.
Firdaus Kasman had been handed his first call-up since March 2016 and the Geylang International midfielder has the opportunity to add to his seven caps, having last played for the Lions in June 2015 as a substitute in a 0-0 away draw against Japan in World Cup qualifying.
Hougang United winger Farhan Zulkifli is the other new face in the squad, having been handed his maiden call-up; the 16-year-old is one of three uncapped players in the team.
Tatsuma said: “Both Firdaus and Farhan have performed well on a consistent basis in the Singapore Premier League this season, and have kept up their form over the past month.
“Geylang have done well of late and Firdaus has played a key part from central midfield; he is a hard worker, has good passing attributes and adds balance to the team. Farhan is a young boy and his inclusion might surprise some people, but he has featured regularly for Hougang’s first team; of course, he still has room to improve.”
The Lions will play Jordan in an international ‘A’ friendly in Amman on 5 October as preparation for the match against Saudi Arabia on 10 October in Buraidah, before returning home to face Uzbekistan at the National Stadium on 15 October.
Tatsuma said: “We will use the game against Jordan to fine-tune our ideas ahead of the Saudi Arabia match, as well as get used to the time difference and weather conditions there.
“Saudi Arabia is the highest-ranked team in our group, strong both technically and physically, but we always aim to get a result when we play. We want to try to bring back the three points. We go with no fear and a challenger’s mentality.”
The match against Saudi Arabia will be broadcast LIVE online on Mediacorp’s Toggle platform at toggle.sg.
The Lions depart Singapore in the morning on 3 October and arrive back on the morning of 12 October.
Singapore National Team Squad for October 2019
| S/N | Name | Pos | Caps | Goals | DOB | Club |
| 1 | Hassan Sunny | GK | 83 | 0 | 2-Apr-84 | Army United (THA) |
| 2 | Izwan Mahbud | GK | 48 | 0 | 14-Jul-90 | Nongbua Pitchaya (THA) |
| 3 | Zharfan Rohaizad | GK | 0 | 0 | 21-Feb-97 | Young Lions |
| 4 | Amirul Adli | DF | 9 | 0 | 13-Jan-96 | Tampines Rovers |
| 5 | Baihakki Khaizan | DF | 135 | 5 | 31-Jan-84 | Trat FC (THA) |
| 6 | Darren Teh | DF | 0 | 0 | 19-Aug-96 | Geylang International |
| 7 | Irfan Fandi | DF | 22 | 1 | 13-Aug-97 | BG Pathum United (THA) |
| 8 | Nazrul Nazari | DF | 34 | 0 | 11-Feb-91 | Hougang United |
| 9 | Safuwan Baharudin | DF | 91 | 11 | 22-Sep-91 | Pahang FA (MAS) |
| 10 | Shakir Hamzah | DF | 51 | 3 | 10-Oct-92 | Kedah FA (MAS) |
| 11 | Zulqarnaen Suzliman | DF | 9 | 0 | 29-Mar-98 | Young Lions |
| 12 | Farhan Zulkifli | MF | 0 | 0 | 10-Nov-02 | Hougang United |
| 13 | Firdaus Kasman | MF | 7 | 0 | 24-Jan-88 | Geylang International |
| 14 | Hami Syahin | MF | 1 | 0 | 16-Dec-98 | Home United |
| 15 | Hariss Harun | MF | 96 | 10 | 19-Nov-90 | Johor Darul Ta’zim (MAS) |
| 16 | Shahdan Sulaiman | MF | 60 | 4 | 9-May-88 | Tampines Rovers |
| 17 | Yasir Hanapi | MF | 33 | 1 | 21-Jun-89 | Tampines Rovers |
| 18 | Fareez Farhan | FW | 1 | 0 | 25-Jul-94 | Geylang International |
| 19 | Faris Ramli | FW | 53 | 9 | 24-Aug-92 | Hougang United |
| 20 | Gabriel Quak | FW | 31 | 5 | 22-Dec-90 | Warriors FC |
| 21 | Hazzuwan Halim | FW | 0 | 0 | 2-Feb-94 | Balestier Khalsa |
| 22 | Ikhsan Fandi | FW | 14 | 6 | 9-Apr-99 | Raufoss IL (NOR) |
| 23 | Shawal Anuar | FW | 7 | 1 | 29-Apr-91 | Geylang International |
National Team Fixtures for October 2019
| Date | Time | Match | Venue | Ticket Pricing* | |
| Cat 1 | Concession | ||||
| 5 October 2019 Saturday |
7pm (12 am SGT) |
Jordan vs Singapore | Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan | N.A | |
| 10 October 2019Thursday | 8pm (1 am SGT, 11 Oct, Friday) |
Saudi Arabia vs Singapore | King Abdullah Stadium, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia | ||
| 15 October 2019Tuesday | 7.45pm | Singapore vs Uzbekistan | National Stadium, Singapore Sports Hub | $15.00 | $10.00 |
Tickets can be purchased at fas.org.sg/tickets.
Fans who have purchased tickets to watch the Singapore vs Uzbekistan World Cup Qualifier on 15 October 2019 at the National Stadium will be entitled to a 30% discount on either one of the Brazil Global Tour 2019 in Singapore matches. The promotion ends on 6 October 2019.
*Abovementioned ticket prices do not include ticketing fees
