Written By: Stanley Yeo

With most of the players suffering from exhaustion due to a tedious travelling schedule, Ceres La Salle FC head coach Franklin Muescan has conceded that his team will be the underdogs going into their AFC Cup Group E game against Tampines Rovers on Tuesday at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Coach Muescan said, “The problem is being stuck in Bangladesh airport for five hours before our flight to Manila. You will definitely see the fatigue taking its toll on the players but we have a positive outlook for this match.”

Ceres star midfielder Stephan Shrock echoed his coach’s sentiments, “We are clearly the underdog in this group and for the match tomorrow but we are still very proud to be in this position and to be part of this campaign.”

Despite being touted as the favourites going into this clash, Tampines Rovers head coach V. Sundramoorthy hopes that his side will not be overconfident.

“Every game in the AFC is going to be a difficult game, we know our opponents have been playing well and it will be a good entertaining game on Tuesday night,” said the former Singapore international.

In contrast, the Stags are well rested, as they were not scheduled to play in the latest round of S League games. With that said, Tampines have to keep Saturday’s game against Brunei DPMM FC in mind.

While he refused to divulge his tactics for the game, coach Sundram stressed that his team will go all out for victory, “ I cannot reveal much but honestly we will put our strongest team and try to get all three points. Especially playing at home, we would love to get the win.”

“To play two games in four days is going to be tough but with a bigger squad, we should be able to manage it.”

As for Tampines Rovers full back Ismadi Mukhtar, he is confident that Tampines will seize the opportunity to make their mark in the regional competition.

“For Tampines, we are looking forward ahead, the project is very long. We don’t just focus on league game or cup game. AFC is the next step for us to stamp our authority,” said Ismadi.