Albirex Niigata (S) will hope to bounce back from their AIA Community Shield loss to Lion City Sailors and set a marker as title challengers this season. Meanwhile, Tanjong Pagar United will be looking to make a statement of their own and keep Albirex Niigata (S)’s marquee striker Tadanari Lee and company quiet.

The Singapore Premier League welcomes Akbar Nawas back after 5 years since he left Tampines Rovers for highly successful stints at Global Cebu in Philippines and Chennai City in India’s I-League. His Balestier Khalsa side will face a largely full-strength Tampines Rovers keen to recover from a mid-season slump that saw their title challenge end in a mid-table finish in their last campaign.

After an impressive debut in Singapore football, Kim Shin-wook and Lion City Sailors will be keen to continue their 18-match unbeaten run with a dominating performance against Clement Teo’s Hougang United. However, the Cheetahs will look to unleash their own star signing Brazilian Andre Moritz, former Crystal Palace attacking midfielder, against the Sailors at Jalan Besar Stadium.

Geylang International are finally back in action and their first match of the season is a daunting test against reigning champions Lion City Sailors, who got off to a winning start last week. Mohd Noor Ali’s men will look to new signings Sime Zuzul and Vincent Bezecourt for inspiration, while Maxime Lestienne could get his first start after an impactful cameo off the bench for the Sailors last time out.

Having suffered a shock defeat last week, Albirex Niigata (S) will aim to bounce back against Balestier Khalsa. The latter displayed great spirit to come back from two goals down to earn a draw in their previous match and will need all of that spirit to pull off a win here – the White Swans are unbeaten against them in their last 17 encounters.

Regarded as possible title contenders this season, Hougang United will look to get their first win of the season when they travel to Jurong East to face Tanjong Pagar United. Pedro Bortoluzo has already opened his scoring account and will hope to get in on the goals again, but the Jaguars will be no rollovers – a stunning upset of Albirex Niigata (S) in their first match will give them belief that they can topple the Cheetahs.

Win-less in their opening two matches, Hougang United will aim to break that streak when they host Geylang International. However, the visitors will be brimming with confidence after upsetting the Lion City Sailors last weekend and will look to cause another shock here.

The Young Lions finally get their 2022 campaign underway and it is a tough assignment against Albirex Niigata (S), who scored six times in their previous match. Nazri Nazir’s charges will be raring to go but history is against them – Albirex have won the last 17 encounters.

Back at home on their Toa Payoh turf, Balestier Khalsa will hope to notch their first victory of the season when they entertain Tanjong Pagar United, who have collected four points from their first two matches.

After suffering a shock defeat last time out, the Lion City Sailors will be determined to bounce back immediately against Tampines Rovers. The defending champions will miss suspended centre-back Pedro Henrique but will look to their foreign trio of Maxime Lestienne, Diego Lopes and Kim Shin-wook to fire them to victory against a fresh Stags side, who were not in action last weekend.

Last season’s top two meet early on in the league as they go head to head in the fourth week. Albirex, who finished second, are in fine form having scored 11 times in their last two matches and will aim to make it three wins on the trot against the champions. Meanwhile, the Sailors have not been in fine fettle so far this season and will want to make a statement as they gun for a first ever away win against the White Swans.

Tampines could count themselves unfortunate not to win the last time out and will hope that a positive display brings a winning reward when they play at home for the first time this season. Their bid for a first league win of the season will not be easy, with the visiting Cheetahs aiming to build on the momentum of a last-gasp victory and who can count on the silky André Moritz to pull the strings.

Early surprise package Tanjong Pagar know that a second successive win will keep them top of the pile before the league takes a break for the international window and the likes of Reo Nishiguchi and Mirko Šugić will relish the challenge. Meanwhile, Geylang suffered heartbreak in their previous match but can never be ruled out, with the ever-dangerous forward Šime Žužul a star for them so far.

After an opening-day defeat, the Young Lions need to pick themselves up in their second league match of the season but will fancy their chances of nabbing a result against a Balestier side who have conceded 11 goals in their last two matches.

Smarting from a heavy defeat the last time out, Hougang United will aim to bounce back at home but will not be helped by a cluster of injuries. André Moritz and Shawal Anuar are likely to be the key men as they look to take down Albirex Niigata (S), who will be targeting a sixth consecutive victory against the Cheetahs.

The defending champions are back at home and more is expected from them after an indifferent start to the season, although they will fancy their chances against a Balestier Khalsa side that has looked defensively suspect so far.

The first Eastern derby of 2022 takes place on Saturday evening as Geylang International host rivals Tampines Rovers, who have won just once out of the last five times these teams have faced each other. The Stags, however, are in fine form and the likes of Boris Kopitovic, Kyoga Nakamura and Zehrudin Mehmedovic will be difficult to contain.

The Young Lions are back in action as they seek their first win of the season against a Tanjong Pagar United side brimming with confidence from leading the standings. Reo Nishiguchi is the star man for the visitors, but the hosts pack plenty of grit and will not be pushovers.

Two sides who would have expected to start the season better go head to head at Toa Payoh, and the goals could flow with both teams not looking the most stable defensively. Hougang United are chasing victory to stay in touch with the top sides, while Balestier Khalsa will aim to recover from a heavy defeat last time out.

The Japanese visitors are looking for a seventh straight win in this encounter as they look to bounce back from dropping points in their previous match, but a gritty Geylang International side will not roll over.

Tanjong Pagar United will be quietly confident of a first victory over Tampines Rovers since their return to the league in 2020, as they look to maintain their unbeaten run to the season. But the hosts, with Boris Kopitovic in fine form, should prove to be yet another tough test.

If thing go their way, the Lion City Sailors could finish this matchweek top of the table but first, they have to do their part by beating bottom side Young Lions, who will be missing a couple of key players.

After squandering a three-goal lead in their last match, Tampines Rovers will hope to do better when they play at home again. The visitors have drawn each of their last two matches and will aim to get back to winning ways.

It's a massive top-of-the-table clash as title favourites Lion City Sailors, who have not been in the best form of late despite grinding out the wins, take on surprise challengers Tanjong Pagar United, a team that seemingly never knows when they are beaten.