Laguna: Already out of running for a semi-final spot, Kaya FC-Iloilo of the Philippines and Singapore’s Lion City Sailors FC will both be looking to wrap up their inaugural ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ on a positive note on Thursday.
Hosts Kaya are yet to collect a point in the group stage of the Shopee Cup while their opponents from the Singapore Premier League are on four points and also missed out on a place in the semi-finals ahead of their visit to the Binan Football Stadium.
Yu Hoshide’s Kaya were denied their first point of the tournament by Indonesia’s Borneo FC Samarinda, who scored in the 91st minute through Dwiky Hardiansyah to secure a 2-1 victory in Bali on the penultimate matchday two weeks ago.
Only Myanmar’s Shan United (16 goals) have conceded more goals than Kaya (12) in the tournament but seven of those goals came against Buriram United in their second outing, with them losing to Borneo, Kuala Lumpur City FC and Công An Hà Nội FC all by one-goal margins.
Hoshide’s side will carry some momentum into this contest having come back from a goal down to beat Cebu FC 3-1, with Mar Diano and Jesus Melliza among the scorers, to maintain their four-point lead at the top of the Philippines Football League, where they are unbeaten after eight games.
Sailors, meanwhile, produced a fighting display against Buriram United in their previous Shopee Cup match to hold the Thai champions to a goalless draw. But that didn't prove enough to keep their knockout stage hopes alive as they sit second-from-bottom with four points from as many matches.
The Singapore Premier League side’s only win of the campaign so far came against Kuala Lumpur City FC, who they defeated 2-0 on the third matchday but defeats to Công An Hà Nội FC and Borneo FC Samarinda cost them dearly.
Aleksandar Rankovic has an abundance of talent in his attack that boasts stars like Shawal Anuar, Lennart Thy and Maxime Lestienne and they edged Geylang International 2-1 on 26 January to consolidate their top spot in their domestic league.
They might be out of the running for a place in the semi-finals, but these two sides will be looking to end their Shopee Cup campaign on a good note as they face each other in Laguna.
Kaya FC-Iloilo vs Lion City Sailors FC
Venue: Binan Football Stadium, Laguna
Kick-off: 6 February, 8:30PM (Local Time)
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