Singapore coach calls for mental steel against Iraq
By Ossian Shine
SINGAPORE, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Discipline and focus will prove key for Singapore's Asian Cup qualification hopes when they clash head-on with Iraq in a Group E qualifier on Wednesday.
The Lions, third in the four-nation group behind Iraq and China, beat Oman club side Al Nahda 2-1 in a warm-up on Saturday and are hitting form at the right time.
But coach Radojko Avramovic knows his side will need more mental steel when they tackle the group leaders at the United Arab Emirates' Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium.
"Getting the win against Al Nahda was a timely boost for the boys just days before our match against Iraq," Avramovic said.
"The conditions were great and I am expecting a good game of football against Iraq on Wednesday.
"But while I am happy that we played well and managed to find two goals, I have also told the boys that they will have to be very disciplined against Iraq," he told Singapore's Today newspaper.
"It is not an impossible task. We have beaten Iraq before. There's no reason why the boys can't repeat the feat again."
In February, Singapore sent Iraq spinning to a 2-0 defeat at the National Stadium. Instead of seizing the initiative in the group, however, they lost focus and slumped 1-0 to minnows Palestine in Amman 10 days later.
Singapore have four points from four matches, three fewer than both Iraq and China. Fourth-placed Palestine also have four points in the tight group. The top two teams from six qualifying groups will make it to the final rounds of the 2007 Asian Cup, together with the four co-hosts Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
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