Ceres FC meets FC Tokyo

in next week’s playoff round
By Adrian Stewart Co

Ceres-Negros FC is set to meet FC Tokyo, the 2019 J1 League runners-up, next week, January 28, in the 2020 AFC Champions League qualifying playoff round after scoring a 1-0 win last Tuesday over Thai League 1 club Port FC in the second preliminary round at the PAT Stadium in Bangkok. The winner of the playoff round earns a spot in the 2020 AFC Champions League group stage.
Midfielder Stephan Schröck scored the decisive goal against the Thai outfit in the 51st minute.
This is the second time the Bacolod City-based club has qualified for the AFC Champions League qualifying playoff round.
In 2018, Ceres won the first preliminary round 1-1 (4-3) on penalty kicks over Burmese club Shan United FC and followed it up by defeating A-League club Brisbane Roar, 3-2, in the second round. However, in the playoff round, the Negrense club fell 2-0 to Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian FC.
The winner of this year’s playoff round will earn the final spot in Group F, where they face 2019 K League 1 runners-up Ulsan Hyundai FC, 2019 Chinese FA Cup champions Shanghai Shenhua, and 2018–19 A-League champions Perth Glory.
If the Negrense club is unsuccessful in their bid for a spot in the AFC Champions League, they are already drawn in Group G of the 2020 AFC Cup alongside Than Quang Ninh, who finished third in the V.League 1, and 2019 Liga 1 winners Bali United.
The fourth spot in the group will be determined by a playoff between Hong Kong’s Kitchee SC, Taiwan Power Company FC, and Ulaanbaatar City FC of Mongolia./ASC, WDJ