Singapore: Singapore international Izzdin Shafiq believes Home United have the ability and desire to dethrone ASEAN Zonal champions Ceres Negros beginning with the first leg clash on August 1.
After a two and a half month break, the AFC's club competitions return to action on Wednesday when Ceres Negros of the Philippines look to defend their AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal title against Singapore's Home United.
The two-legged ASEAN Zonal final is a repeat of last year's edition, when Ceres came out on top 3-2 on aggregate. The-AFC.com caught up with Home United midfielder Izzdin Shafiq, who also featured in the 2017 ASEAN Zonal final, to get his views on the upcoming clash.
Hello Izzdin, we're only a few days away from the 2018 AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal Final now - what are your thoughts on the match against Ceres?
Izzdin: Last year, we were unlucky. This has spurred us to be hungrier for the win. And this year, we have a new set of players. All of them show good character and great fighting spirit. So i think we have a really good chance.
As you say, this is a repeat of last year's final, what are your memories of that series of games?
Izzdin: We defeated them 2-1 at our home ground but lost to them 2-0 in Bacolod City. I do also remember that we had a few chances during the match but we couldn’t score. In short, I believe that their team is not unbeatable.
You've played against Ceres several times in this competition - twice in the 2018 Group Stage - what are their strengths and are there any particular players you have to watch out for?
Izzdin: They have lots of good, quality players in the team. They are strong in attack; when they attack, they attack in numbers. But for me, we have to keep our eye on their number 12, Stephan Schröck (pictured below). Stopping him will weaken the team significantly.
Their top scorer Bienvenido Marañon is suspended for these two matches, how much of a boost is this for your team?
Izzdin: It is a favourable situation for us, but we still have to focus on other players. I am aware that they have acquired four to five new players in the team, but these acquisitions do not worry us. We still have to play according to our strengths and replicate our positive playing style that was demonstrated in all of our past matches in the AFC Cup this year.
In the most recent meeting between your teams, Home United were victorious in the Philippines. Psychologically, how much of a factor can this be in the match, with the first leg also taking place in Bacolod?
Izzdin: It’s always a good feeling to defeat your opponents at their home ground, especially so when Ceres had not been defeated at the home ground for the past two years in the AFC Cup. But this time round, will be different because we are fighting for the Zonal title. Every team wants to be crowned ASEAN champions. So for the first leg, we must get a good result in Bacolod, so that when we play at our home ground, we will go into the game high in confidence.
Your teammate Song Ui-yong has been in stunning form this year in the AFC Cup, can you talk a little about what it's like to play with him and some of his qualities?
Izzdin: Playing with him makes my job a little easier because we understand each other. We both know what are our roles during a match. Sometimes we don’t even need to communicate verbally; simply just by observation, we already know what to expect from one another. He is a player with exceptional quality and technique. He is also physically strong and very comfortable with the ball at his feet. I love to play with him.
And finally, what would it mean for you if Home United could be crowned ASEAN Zonal champions?
Izzdin: It means a great deal to us as a team and as a player; We can make a name for ourselves. We can also look back and realise that we have achieved something big in our footballing career. It also means a lot to the club as we will be making history. More importantly, we will making our nation proud since we are inevitably representing our country, adding greater meaning to the AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal title.
Source: the-afc.com