Preview of the AFC Champions League Secondary League: Sanfrecce Hiroshima Aims to Turn Things Around Against Weaker Opponent, Ceres Negros May Struggle to Cause an Upset

On September 19th at 6 PM, the first round of Group E in the AFC Champions League Secondary League will see Sanfrecce Hiroshima host Ceres Negros FC at home. Sanfrecce Hiroshima has performed well in the J.League and is looking forward to leveraging its home advantage for a big win against the Philippine champions, Ceres Negros FC.

According to the rules of the AFC Champions League Secondary League, there will be four teams in each group, with the top two teams advancing to the Round of 16. The four teams in Group E are Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Japan), Ceres Negros (Philippines), Sydney FC (Australia), and Eastern (Hong Kong). In terms of overall strength, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Sydney FC are undoubtedly stronger than the other two opponents and are favorites to advance from the group.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima has performed well in the J.League, currently ranking second with 56 points (15 wins, 11 draws, 4 losses) and trailing the league leaders, Machida Zelvia, by just 2 points, as they push hard for the J.League title. However, Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s recent form has not been ideal, with only one draw and two losses in their last three games.

The team’s top scorer, Yuki Hasegawa (16 goals, 3 assists), transferred to Blackburn Rovers in the English Championship this summer, which has had a significant impact on the team. Currently, the top scorer and playmaker for Sanfrecce Hiroshima is Riku Kubo, who has contributed 9 goals and 5 assists. Arslan Serdar has scored 7 goals with 1 assist, Makoto Mitoma has 6 goals and 7 assists, and Sho Tottomi has 6 goals and 4 assists.

Ceres Negros won the Philippine league championship in the 2022-23 and 2024 seasons. Since the new season of the Philippine league has not yet started, their last match was on August 22nd, where they lost 0-1 to Kuala Lumpur City in the ASEAN Championship.

In this game, Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s Keiki Kobayashi, Daichi Yamazaki, and Ezequiel are out due to injury, while Koji Hosogai and Kaito Hatsumi are ineligible to participate; Ceres Negros has a full-strength squad.

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