Ott out as Ceres battles felda anew

SHAH ALAM, Selangor —Filipino club Ceres-Negros FC tries to inch closer to the knockout stage of the AFC Cup when it clashes with Malaysian side Felda United on Tuesday at the 80,000-seater Shah Alam Stadium here.

With five points from their first three matches, the Busmen hope to keep their lead in Group F, where they are barely ahead of Hanoi FC on goal difference heading into Match Day 4.

The Busmen are unbeaten in away matches since reaching the group stage of the second-tier club competition last year.

But with Felda proving to be tough nut to crack for the Busmen in Bacolod City two weeks ago, Ceres coach Risto Vidakovic expects another difficult match. Ceres needed a big penalty save from Roland Muller in the second half to preserve a 0-0 standoff with Felda at Panaad Stadium.

Ceres will miss top midfielder Manny Ott due to suspension for accumulated yellow cards. Martin Steuble is expected to return to the starting lineup in his place.

“If the style for both teams didn’t change, I think it will be a very hard game for both teams,” said Vidakovic. “Everyone is a champion or second place in the group [in their own countries], so it’s very very hard. Every game you have to fight for the points.”

Felda is in last place in the group with two points, but a win could also boost its chances of nailing one of the two spots to the knockout round.