Energy is steadily building up for The Castlewood Group Battle Of The Reds 2015 this Saturday, 14 November, at the National Stadium – energy that was most certainly felt at the pre-match press conference yesterday.
For football fans around South East Asia, there is no bigger match on the season calendar than between the Reds of Manchester and the Reds of Merseyside – Manchester United and Liverpool. Even with the rise of other clubs, such as Chelsea and Manchester City, these two clubs are still the most supported in region, if not the world.
Thanking the fans for their unwavering support for the match that is almost sold out, CEO of Masters Football Asia, Steve Black said, “We look forward to a most spectacular event ever in this match between Manchester United and Liverpool. We want to thank Castlewood Group for being so supportive; it’ll be a tremendous match and I hope the spectators enjoy themselves.”
Ian Rush, returning captain of the Liverpool Masters team that has a good record in Singapore, also commented, “Liverpool and Manchester United are the best supported teams in the world, and anytime we play against United is always exciting. We always look forward to entertaining supporters, especially here, and we’re going to score first!”
“It’s always nice to be here in Singapore. It’s a fantastic event and an opportunity to see each other after one year! It’s phenomenal to see so many fans interested in the match and supporting us,” said Jerzy Dudek, former Liverpool shot stopper and Istanbul hero.
“There hasn’t been an event here that has been so talked about. The people here show me how well supported the teams are and it’s great to be involved. Masters Football Asia creates these opportunities to involve the local communities so the exposure we bring is always a great opportunity for fans across the world,” said Paul Parker, former Manchester United defender who will be managing the Manchester United Masters for this Saturday’s match.
Andrei Kanchelskis, former Manchester United right winger, said, “It’s always going to be a very hard game against Liverpool. I’m looking forward to playing this game and may the best team win.”
Sat next to his own idol Ian Rush, Chris Comer, CEO of Castlewood Group (and Liverpool fan) said, “It’s a huge year for Singapore with our 50th anniversary, and I can honestly say that I’ve been looking forward to this week all year. It takes a lot of people to successfully pull off an event like this; a big thank you to Masters Football Asia, the players and everyone involved. It’s going to be an exciting game, I’m looking forward to handing the trophy to the winning team, and hopefully they’ll have an accent similar to mine!”
Taking place at the National Stadium, bragging rights are on the line as the two teams line-up and take the field. Fans will also get the chance to see some of their legends up close.
The teams will consist of:
Liverpool Masters captained by Ian Rush: Jerzy Dudek, Stephane Henchoz, Steve Harkness, Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Luis Garcia, Dietmar Hamann, Patrik Berger, Vladimir Smicer, Phil Babb, Bjorn Tore Kvarme, Ian Rush, Jan Kromkamp, David Thompson, Michael Thomas and Jari Littmanen.
Manchester United Masters captained by Paul Parker: Nick Culkin, Russell Beardsmore, Lee Martin, Paul Parker, Ronny Johnsen, Bojan Djordjic, Lee Sharpe, Keith Gillespie, Jesper Blomqvist, Ben Thornley, Clayton Blackmore, Quinton Fortune, Karel Poborskly, Louis Saha, George Switzer and Andrei Kanchelskis.
The Castlewood Group Battle Of The Reds 2015 will be broadcast ‘live’ exclusively on ELEVEN (Singtel TV Channel 109) from 6pm to 8pm on Saturday, 14 November 2015.