Kaya, Ceres battle tough Singapore teams Tuesday

BACOLOD CITY—Filipino clubs Kaya and Ceres-La Salle aim to move closer to a place in the knockout stage of the AFC Cup when they square off against Singaporean sides Tuesday.

Ceres, the reigning United Football League champion, hosts Tampines Rovers in the rematch of their first round fixture that saw both teams play to a thrilling 1-1 stalemate in Group E in Singapore. Match starts at 7 p.m.

A sellout crowd is again expected at Panaad Stadium where Ceres picked up it its first point in the continental competition two months ago in a 2-2 draw with Selangor of Malaysia.

But Ceres, with five points from three games, is facing a daunting task against the

S-League side, which collected seven points in the first round on two wins and a draw.

“We’re ready for a tough game,” said Ceres skipper Juani Guirado. “We need a win to help us make the next round.”

While leading scorer Adrian Gallardo is expected to start, Ceres has a few injury concerns with Stephan Schrock and Manny Ott nursing minor injuries on the quadricep muscles and ankle, respectively.

Kaya, the 2015 UFL Cup winner, hopes to extend its lead at the top of Group F as it battles Balestier Khalsa at Jalan Besar Stadium.

Kaya dealt the Singaporeans a 0-1 defeat last March 15 at Rizal Memorial Stadium, raising the Filipinos’ record to six points, two clear of Balestier and Kitchee of Hong Kong.