Photo: SPORTFIVE
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Tampines Rovers FC will attempt to build on their winning start to the 2025/26 Asean Club Championship Shopee Cup on Wednesday (Sept 24) when Noh Rahman’s side face off against Selangor FC of Malaysia in an eagerly anticipated cross-Causeway clash.
The pair will go head-to-head at Selangor’s MBPJ Stadium with Tampines Rovers having made a winning start to the competition with a 3-1 victory over DH Cebu FC on Matchday 1 in August.
That win was secured through goals by Hide Higashikawa, Dylan Fox and Trent Buhagiar in Manila and the Singapore Premier League side will be looking to follow up with another three points against Katsuhito Kinoshi’s team.
Selangor, widely known as the Red Giants, made an eye-catching start to their first appearance in the competition on Matchday 1 with a 1-1 draw against defending champions Buriram United FC, who needed an injury-time strike by Peter Žulj to secure a point at the Thunder Castle last month.
“The Shopee Cup™ for us is a very big opportunity to have good matches against clubs from other countries,” says Kinoshi, who was appointed head coach by Selangor last November.
“This experience makes us – the club, the coach, the players, the staff – stronger, because if you’re only participating in the domestic league, you don’t have the chance to go to the other countries, to have an official match, and this is the point.
Photo: SPORTFIVE
“To get results in the Shopee Cup™ is one target, but our strategy is to participate in these kinds of tournaments. Last year we were second in the Malaysia Super League and we won the Challenge Cup, and this has brought us to the Shopee Cup™.”
Osmar Loss’ side face another challenging encounter when they travel to Pathum Thani to take on BG Pathum United FC in a re-run of last season’s semi-final, which Buriram United won 3-1 on aggregate.
BG Pathum started the new campaign with a victory over Vietnam’s Cong An Hanoi FC, with Chanathip Songkrasin scoring with an outrageous effort from 40 yards to secure a 2-1 win for his side, who had played the entire second half with 10 men.
Hanoi, runners-up in the inaugural edition of the competition, will host Cebu attempting to build on their impressive 2-2 draw with Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan FC in the AFC Champions League Two on Thursday.
Malaysia Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim FC will host Bangkok United FC on Thursday in Group B, and looking to consolidate their position after kicking off their campaign with a 3-1 win over Lion City Sailors FC from Singapore on the opening matchday.
Joao Figueiredo scored twice for Xisco Munoz's side at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium last month and the Brazil-born Malaysia international will be seeking to continue his strong start to the season against the Thai side, who are making their first appearance in the current campaign.
Also kicking off their challenge for the 2025/26 Shopee Cup™ is V-League 1 champions Nam Dinh FC, with the Vu Hong Viet-coached outfit taking on a PKR Svay Rieng FC side buoyed by a strong start to the competition.
Matt McConkey’s team handed Shan United FC from Myanmar a 3-0 defeat in Yangon on Matchday 1 and go into the game having picked up a fifth consecutive win in the Cambodian Premier League on Saturday to boost their confidence further.
The Matches:
Sept 24:
BG PATHUM UNITED FC (THA) v BURIRAM UNITED FC (THA), BG Stadium, Pathum Thani, Kick-off: 19:00 (12:00 GMT)
CONG AN HANOI FC (VIE) v DH CEBU FC (PHI), Hang Day Stadium, Hanoi, Kick-off: 19:30 (12:30 GMT)
SELANGOR FC (MAS) v TAMPINES ROVERS FC (SIN), MBPJ Stadium, Selangor, Kick-off: 21:00 (13:00 GMT)
Sept 25:
JOHOR DARUL TA'ZIM (MAS) v BANGKOK UNITED FC (THA), Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Johor, Kick-off: 17:30 (09:30 GMT)
NAM DINH FC (VIE) v PKR SVAY RIENG FC (CAM), Thien Truong Stadium, Ninh Binh, Kick-off: 19:30 (12:30 GMT)
