| Singapore chasing win to keep World Cup hopes alive |
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| Tuesday, 25 March 2008 | |
 SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore know anything less than victory against Lebanon on Wednesday will likely spell an end to their 2010 World Cup aspirations. Grouped with Uzbekistan and regional giants Saudi Arabia, the Lions need maximum points from their lesser-ranked rivals to have a realistic chance of reaching the last 10 of Asian qualifying. “It will be hard to think about advancing to the next stage if we don’t get this win,” Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic told Reuters. “We are far better than we have been in the past but to go through to round four we need three points here,” the Serb added. “At this stage, there are no easy teams.” The Southeast Asian champions are brimming with confidence after holding regional powerhouse Australia to a 0-0 draw in a friendly on Saturday. Singapore were beaten 2-0 by the Saudis in their opening Group 4 match and Lebanon lost 1-0 at home to Uzbekistan. The top two finishers in the pool advance to the final stage of Asian qualifying. Avramovic has bolstered his side with several naturalised players, including Bosnian-born striker Aleksandar Duric, who is averaging a goal a game since being granted citizenship late last year. He will start against a Lebanon team beset by logistical problems and poor preparation due to the country’s ongoing political crisis, the worst since the 1975-1990 civil war. “We are the weakest team in the group, at least in terms of preparation,” Emile Rostom, one of the team’s coaches, told the Today newspaper. “No one wants to come to Lebanon to play a friendly.” (Reporting by Martin Petty in Bangkok; Editing by John O’Brien) |
