Ceres Negros vs Port FC in AFC Champions League

Ceres-Negros players’ Joshua Grommen and Mark Hartmann. CERES NEGROS FC PHOTO
Ceres-Negros players’ Joshua Grommen and Mark Hartmann. CERES NEGROS FC PHOTO

MANILA – Ceres-Negros F.C. will face an acid test against Port F.C. of Thailand in the Preliminary Round 2 of the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League at the PAT Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Former Thai League players Joshua Grommen and Mark Hartmann both attested that Port F.C. will not be an easy foe in the match that is scheduled at 8 p.m. tonight.

“Last year they had a very strong team. Always competed with the top sides of the league. They finished top three and won one of the cups,” said Grommen, who played for the Sukothai club last year.

“They were always competitive in the league. They’ve got great players and this year they signed a couple of decent ones” seconded Hartmann, who played there for two consecutive seasons.

Aside from the Port F.C. powerhouse team that features former teammate Martin Steuble, another thing that Ceres-Negros will have to contend with is the support of the Thai football fans.

“Thailand’s crowd is fantastic,” said Hartmann. “They’ve always been a good squad. It’s gonna be difficult for us, but I’m sure we can do the same as last game and try to get the win.”

The winner of the Ceres-Port matchup will advance in the play-off round for a stint versus J. League’s F.C. Tokyo on Jan. 28. The winner of the play-off round will then earn a spot in Group F alongside South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai, China’s Shanghai Shenhua and Australia’s Perth Glory./PN

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