No quarters asked, nor will any be given, as Warriors wait to tame Jaguars

By PETER SIOW

SO who will sit on the coronation throne of the Tiger Beer Singapore Cup at the National Stadium this evening: Singapore Armed Forces FC or Tanjong Pagar United?

A difficult question considering the qualities both teams pack.

Perhaps a look at this season's record in the S-League and Singapore Pools FA Cup may help. Tanjong Pagar has yet to lose to SAFFC, beating it twice and drawing once.

And, only last week, it crushed the Warriors of SAFFC 5-1 in the FA Cup semi-finals.

So will SAFFC be able to forgive and forget the humiliation? Unlikely.

Does that mean it will be goaded by revenge? Likely.

What is more, the stakes have been upped. Apart from reputations and revenge, the team which puts the crown on its head will also pocket $70,000, while the loser goes home with $30,000.

SAFFC, a less-than-happy outfit early in the week, claims it has bounced back from its depressive mood.

The thought of stopping Tanjong Pagar from capturing its first silverware is another motivational factor the Warriors may want to exploit.

Still, it is going to be a close call. Perhaps, a comparison of the various departments -- from goalkeepers to strikers -- may lead to a clearer picture.

Between the posts, Warriors goalkeeper Rezal Hassan has been looking jittery of late, while Dragan Talajic remains calm and commanding.

In front of the goalkeepers, Tanjong Pagar boasts the meanest defence in Lim Tong Hai, Jorg Steinebrunner and S. Subramani.

The Jaguars have scored 58 goals from 28 games while letting in only 21.

SAFFC plays with four defenders, yet looks shaky as Davor Mioc and Hairi Suap lack the steely edge possessed by team-mates Robin Chitrakar and Veselko Paponja. It has netted 56 goals from 26 games and allowed in 23.

In midfield, SAFFC's terrier-like Nazri Nasir and Ivaca Raguz pack enough bite to match the energetic Samawira Basri and Majid Motlagh, who has the ability of the high-class player to make the game look so easy. Last week, he scored twice and made three goals.

The spotlight on the front row falls on Jure Eres and Fandi Ahmad, who works ceaselessly and selflessly but, at 36, is sure to prompt speculation about his future. Together, they have pumped in 15 goals.

Compare that figure to the free-scoring Steven Tan (16 goals) and Nicodeme Boucher (11), whose salmon-like leaps have resulted in several successful headers, and the SAFFC strike pair may look like novices.

But Fandi, being Fandi the forward with the superb first touch, is more than capable of turning an absorbing match into a mesmeric one.