Football
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Tampines Rovers hope double sessions pay off in AFC Cup opener vs. Felda

Tampines Rovers' head coach Jurgen Raab hopes that double sessions will pay off when the Singapore giants host Malaysia's Felda United in their AFC Cup Group G opener on Tuesday night.

The German, who took over from Akbar Nawas at the end of January, has been putting his players through gruelling morning and evening trainings.

After Tuesday night's game at Jalan Besar Stadium, the Stags will face S.League champions Albirex Niigata (S) in Sunday night's Charity Shield at the National Stadium.

"[Double sessions] are different to what they may be used to, but they know what the chairman and I want -- to change the style and mentality of football here in Singapore," Raab told The New Paper.

"If a player says, 'No, this is not for me', I have no problems. I will shake his hand and he can leave.

"But no player did that, so I was happy with how well they responded, especially the older players like Mustafic [Fahrudin] and Daniel [Bennett, 39]."

The AFC Cup 2017 pre-match press conference for the Tampines Rovers vs Felda United game was held yesterday, 20th February, at Jalan Besar Stadium. Click the link in our bio to watch the full press conference, and hear what both sides had to say ahead of tonight's clash. #AFCCup2017 #tampinesrovers #tampinesroversfc

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Tampines are in the AFC Cup because they failed to progress through AFC Champions League qualifying, losing 2-0 at the first hurdle to FC Global, of the Philippines, on Jan. 24.

Unavailable against Felda are defender Shakir Hamzah (hamstring injury) and playmaker Shahdan Sulaiman (calf problem), with the match coming too soon for Raab's liking.

"It is a strange feeling that my first match is such an important one, and not knowing what we can deliver," Raab said.

"If I had six weeks of training with the team and had played two friendlies, I would have known more.

"But we will go out wanting to put on a good, competitive performance, and try to win the match."

Felda's danger men could turn out to be veteran international players like striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, defender Shukor Adan and winger Wan Zack Haikal.

Tampines twice defeated another Malaysian side, Selangor, on the way to making the quarterfinals of the 2016 AFC Cup.

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