THE road to glory kicks off tonight when Ceres Negros FC takes on powerhouse Ha Noi of Vietnam at 7 p.m. in the opening of 2017 AFC Cup Group G at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi.
Ha Noi, crowned champions of last year’s V. League 1, is expected to bank on its huge home crowd advantage and the visiting team from Negros Occidental will have to parry whatever the hosts will be throwing against them.
Club director Ali Rojas Go admitted that Ha Noi is a very strong club, and has been in the AFC competitions for a while, and oftentimes in AFC Champions League qualification.
“They have been for many years very consistent in the Vietnam league considered as one of the strongest leagues in Southeast Asia. They’ve been second or champions for more than seven years so they are very consistent. If we come in this game not prepared, I don’t think we’re going to get something,” said Go.
Go reiterated that their recent tune-ups helped them a lot in building a strong side for this tournament and that they’ve learned a lot from those matches. They are doing the necessary modifications in the team which recently acquired new players both here and abroad.
“During our tune-ups, some of our players are still adjusting with the Asian football style of play,” he added.
Aside from homegrown Vietnamese stars, Ha Noi will also have Filipino-Spanish defender Alvaro Silva Linares alongside Argentine forward Gonzalo Marronkle, French striker Loris Arnaud, and midfielder Moses Oloya from Uganda.
Player to watch is six-foot Arnaud who also suited up for the Paris Saint-Germain from 2015-2012 registering a pair of goals in 12 appearances.
Joining Ceres FC and Ha Noi of Vietnam in Group G are Tampines Rovers of Singapore and Felda United of Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the local organizing committee in Bacolod is also working overtime to ensure the readiness of the host for its home matches on March 7, March 15 and April 19 at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City.
