By Song Sung Hai

Round Two and a half of the S.League kicks off for the Jaguars tonight as we travel to Bedok Stadium to face the Geylang Eagles for a third time this season. The league is now into its second season of splitting the table into two halfs and whether or not that format is successful, we leave to the fans to decide.

More importantly, in our previous trip to Bedok, the Jaguars entered the game with a very depleted squad against Geylang International without the likes of Sebastién Etiemble, Kamel Ramdani, Anthony Aymard and Zahid Ahmad but almost created history after Ruzaini Zainal scored early in the second half. It was not to be, however, as Leonel Felice scored in the 87th minute to keep the home side’s undefeated record against Tanjong Pagar United since 1996.

The second meeting which took place at Queenstown Stadium saw the Jaguars once again unable to approach the game with a full squad, with both Monsef Zerka and Kamel Ramdani serving suspensions. Firdaus Idros scored in the 58th minute to cancel out Leonel Felice’s fourth minute goal in the first half, but it was once again Leonel Felice who spoiled the Jaguars’ night as he netted a second goal in the 61th minute. Also, both his goals came from set-pieces and entirely against the run of play.

This evening, the Jaguars will have to do without Monsef Zerka and Anthony Aymard, both out due to injuries. Firdaus Idros will also be serving suspension for yellow card accumulation.

Head Coach Patrick Vallee will once again have to rely on Captain Ahmad Latiff to do some damage upfront. Playmakers Sebastién Etiemble and Kamel Ramdani will also look to step up their game as the Jaguars attempt to get our first win at Bedok Stadium since forever.

Geylang International under Jorg Steinebrunner has also been blowing hot and cold all season and are a mere five points away from the Jaguars. The team is heavily dependent on Leonel Felice to score the goals and rely heavily on their speedy wingers, especially Ridhuan Muhammad, as the main supply route.

With five points between the two sides, one can expect a fierce battle at Bedok Stadium this evening as both teams will be fighting for a chance to finish at a higher position in the bottom half of the table.