Ceres gets luck of draw in AFC

MANILA, Philippines – United Football League (UFL) League titlist Ceres-La Salle FC got what it believed was a favorable draw in the 2016 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup group stage.

The Bacolod-based side found itself bunched with Tampines Rovers or Warriors FC of Singapore, Selangor FA of Malaysia and Lt. Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Ltd of Bangladesh in Group E following yesterday’s draw in Kuala Lumpur.

UFL Cup holder Kaya FC, meanwhile, got drawn with Kitchee of Hong Kong, Balestier Khalsa of Singapore and New Radiant SC of Maldives over in Group F of Asia’s second-tier club competition

“I think the draw was good for us,” said Ceres boss Ali Go, whose wards look to make the most out of their direct qualification to the group stage after failing to get past the playoff phase in 2015.

“As I have said before, I think the strongest clubs in the east are the Hong Kong clubs. I think our chances to advance to the knockout stage are very good. We can beat Singapore and Malaysia. It will now depend on how we prepare for AFC Cup. We have to be 100 percent prepared and conditioned if we want to advance to the knockout stage,” he added.