TAN A MAJOR DOUBT FOR WOMEN'S CUP

Knee surgery puts her out of action for 4 to 6 weeks, but S'pore striker has faith in team

- Deepanraj Ganesan

The national women's football team have been dealt a huge blow ahead of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Women's Cup, with forward Danelle Tan a "major doubt" for the Nov 23-Dec 5 tournament after undergoing knee surgery.

Tan, 20, missed Brisbane Roar's opening match of the A-League Women season - a 3-2 defeat at Canberra United on Nov 2 - owing to injury. On Nov 7, she underwent minor knee surgery that will take her out of action for four to six weeks, according to her club.

The Women's Cup in Vientiane, Laos, is a newly introduced qualifying tournament for the Asean Women's Championship, which was formerly known as the AFF Women's Championship.

Singapore have been drawn in Group A with hosts Laos and Timor-Leste. The top two teams from the two groups advance to the semi-finals, with the finalists and third-placed side earning spots in the Women's Championship in 2025, alongside Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand.