Vidakovic sets club record target for Ceres-Negros in tricky match vs Home United

BACOLOD CITY—For all of his team’s brilliance in the AFC Cup this year, Ceres-Negros coach Risto Vidakovic doesn’t seem to run out of ways to motivate his squad.

With the Busmen virtually assured of a spot in the Asean zone semifinals, the Serbian coach challenged his team to set a new club record for victories in the group stage as they battle Home United of Singapore on Wednesday night in Group F at Panaad Stadium here.

Home United has been a tricky opponent for the Busmen since last year when it gave the Bacolod-based squad all that it could handle, before losing the zonal finals.

The Singaporeans are also the only team to take points off Ceres when it held the Busmen to a 1-1 draw in Singapore last March.

“Home United is always a difficult team to face,” said Vidakovic. “But we have to be professional with our approach. We don’t have the same pressure [to win] as them, but we also have goals and expectations to meet and that’s something that will motivate the players to give everything.”

Ceres has 13 points from five matches, three more than Home, which can still take top spot with a win as head to head records are the first tiebreakers.

A draw by Ceres will be enough to top the group and give Home the last semifinal berth as the best second-placed team among the three Asean groups.

That scenario will mean a possible Asean zone semifinal duel between Ceres and Persija Jakarta of Indonesia—a team that attracts close to 60,000 fans for its home matches.