By Jonas Terrado
Game Tuesday
(Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo)
6 p.m. — FC Tokyo vs Ceres
Ceres-Negros coach Risto Vidakovic said his team will play with a nothing-to-lose attitude as it faces fancied FC Tokyo for a spot in the group stage of the AFC Champions League at the Ajinomoto Stadium in the Japanese capital.
Ceres-Negros trains at the eve of their AFC Champions League match against FC Tokyo. (Photo from Ceres-Negros)
The Busmen will enter the 7 p.m. local time (6 p.m. Philippine time) match as heavy underdogs against the home side favored to breeze through the main stage of Asia’s top-tier club competition.
Though acknowledging the heavy odds stacked against them, Vidakovic stressed that it’s a chance for Ceres to make a good impression.
“Obviously we are big underdogs. But for us, it’s a big honor to be here and we have nothing to lose here,” Vidakovic said in a pre-match press conference recording provided by the club. “We have to enjoy the atmosphere and just enjoy the game.”
Ceres made its way to this final round of qualifiers after posting contrasting wins against Southeast Asian counterparts.
The Busmen slipped past Myanmar’s Shan United at the Rizal Memorial Stadium before stunning Thailand’s Port FC last week in Bangkok.
FC Tokyo enters the contest determined to clinch its first Champions League group stage appearance in eight years.
The Gas Men last appeared in 2012 when their run ended with a loss to China’s Guangzhou Evergrande in the round-of-16.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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