BY JONAS TERRADO
DOMESTIC double winner Ceres-Negros will try to be lucky the third time around as it seeks a historic berth to the prestigious AFC Champions League group stage with next week’s qualifiers against Myanmar’s Shan United.
The Philippines Football League and Copa Paulino Alcantara champions need to beat Shan United, Thailand side Port and Japan’s FC Tokyo in order to become the first Filipino club to reach the top-tier continental tournament.
Ceres takes on Shan United on Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, and coach Risko Vidakovic said his team wants to take things step-by-step.
“The Champions League’s very important. If we qualify for the group stage, it’s gonna be the biggest result in the history of Philippine football, if you want to say it,” Vidakovic said during first session of the PSA Forum for 2020 at Amelie Hotel in Manila.
“That’s a big step already. But we are focused on the first game,” he added.
Ceres fell short on its two previous appearances in the Champions League qualifiers.
The Busmen reached the final phase of the qualifiers in 2018 but lost 2-0 to Chinese side Tianjin Quanjian. They followed it with wins over Shan (4-3 on penalties) and Australia’s Brisbane Roar, 3-2.
Last year, Ceres was booted out early after 2-1 defeat at home to Myanmar’s Yangon United at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City.
Even if it fails anew in its Champions League bid, Ceres is already assured of competing in the second-tier AFC Cup where it was drawn in Group G along with Vietnam’s Than Quang Ninh, Indonesia’s Bali United and the winner of the ASEAN playoff round.
Team captain Stephan Schrock will still be around to lead Ceres’ bid along with Spaniard Bienvenido Maranon and Senegalese Robert Lopez Mendy.
Ceres also signed Thai league veterans Mark Hartmann and Pika Minegishi in hopes of improving the attacking side.
