SINGAPORE, 7 AUGUST 2019 – The Singapore Under-18 National Team get their 2019 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-18 Championship campaign underway later today when they take on Thailand in their Group B opener.

Having arrived on Sunday in Ho Chi Minh, Head Coach Fadzuhasny Juraimi is happy with how the team has settled in over the past two days and told FAS.org.sg that they are raring to go despite having their work cut out for them with defending champions Malaysia, hosts Vietnam, Australia and Cambodia being the other group opponents.

“They know they have a difficult job but they want to have a good outing at this tournament,” the former Singapore international said. ”They want to give everything they have and are being very positive; the staff coaches have also been very helpful and everybody is working hard together.

“This group can be seen as the ‘group of death’ but we have nothing to lose. I have been trying to get them psyched up and it’s basically all about getting them to focus on the task at hand against Thailand first before we tackle the other games one by one.”

The 39-year-old included 10 players with Singapore Premier League (SPL) minutes under their belt this season in his 23-strong squad and hopes that they can help to guide the rest of their team-mates.

“The experience in the SPL has definitely made them better players and they have to share with the rest what they have gained from playing at the highest level here,” he added.

2019 AFF U19 Championship Fixtures

Date	Time (SGT)	Match	Venue
7 August 2019 Wednesday	4.30pm	Thailand vs Singapore	Thanh Long Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City
9 August 2019 Friday	4.30pm	Malaysia vs Singapore	Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City
11 August 2019 Sunday	4.30pm	Singapore vs Vietnam	Binh Duong Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City
13 August 2019 Tuesday	4.30pm	Cambodia vs Singapore	Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City
15 August 2019 Thursday	4.30pm	Singapore vs Australia	Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!