Sailors 'Can Beat Strong Sides'

ACL ace Pires eyes q-final upset against three-time J1 League winners Sanfrecce

- Deepanraj Ganesan

Since arriving in Singapore in July 2023, Portuguese Rui Pires has developed a reputation for being a "continental specialist" for the Lion City Sailors, having played more times in Asian competition than in the Singapore Premier League (SPL).

The 26-year-old defensive midfielder has been crucial to the Sailors' progress into the last eight of the Asian Champions League (ACL) Two, where they will face their toughest challenge yet in three-time J1 League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima. The first leg on March 5 is at the Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima stadium, with the temperature expected to be between 7 and 12 deg C.

Pires, a French Ligue 2 winner with Troyes, had played over 50 Portuguese top-flight matches with Pacos de Ferreira before joining the Sailors in the middle of the 2023 season.

He was signed specifically for the ACL campaign that year and was not registered for the SPL as the club had already filled their foreign quota. While he was registered for the 2024-25 SPL campaign, injuries meant that he had to wait till last July for the first of his 10 domestic appearances so far.

But in ACL Two, Pires has started in seven of the Sailors' eight matches, having played in all six continental games in 2023.