THAT 9-0 demolition job over Cambodian champions Boeung Ket FC last Tuesday is behind Ceres Negros FC now and its focus is switched to Singapore’s Home United in an away game next week at the latter’s turf.
Both met each other last year in the two-legged AFC Cup Zonal Finals where Home United edged the Philippine side, 2-1 in Leg 1 at Jalan Besar Stadium. Ceres FC returned the favor and snatched the spotlight in Leg 2 with a 2-0 scoreline at Panaad Park and Stadium.
Ceres FC coach Risto Vidakovic said the upcoming match against Home United will be tough.
“It’s not an easy game. We have to prepare well. We will go there and fight. It may not always favor us, but we have to play our best,” he added.
About their huge win against Boeung Ket, Vidakovic said that they never expected the result.
“I’m OK with a 5-0 but the 9-0 result was a big surprise. I’m proud of my players’ performance. But then again we have to keep going. This is just the beginning,” he added.
For Ceres FC veteran midfielder Stephan Schrock, the team wants to win and take the three points in Singapore.
“We’re no longer the underdogs in this tournament. Everybody is looking up to us so we have to prepare well like we always do,” he said.
Describing their last performance against the Cambodian side, Schrock said that his team had an outstanding performance, putting on a show for the home crowd of some 2,500 who braved the non-stop rains due to Tropical Storm “Basyang” which put the province under Signal No. 1.
Ceres FC team manager James Dinsay said they will approach their game in Singapore like any other game.
“We will prepare like we always do. We just came from a historic win, and of course we are looking to carry that momentum against Home United,” he said.
“We know they are a strong team, and we will be in for a tough challenge. We have to remember that every game in the group stage is very important. So we will continue to practice hard, improve our conditioning and work on our tactics. We will be ready, and we are excited to play them in front of our Filipino supporters in Singapore,” he added.
Ceres Negros FC, now in Manila undergoing rigid preparation, will leave on February 25 for Singapore for the February 27 match.