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Singapore: The Singapore International Izzdin Shafiq believes that Home United has the ability and desire to dethrone ASEAN zone champions Ceres Negros from the first leg on August 1st.
After two and a half months of break Joining action Wednesday when Ceres Negros of the Philippines will seek to defend his ASEAN zone title against Singapore's Home United.
The ASEAN two – legged final is a repeat of last year 's edition, when Ceres -2 on the set. The-AFC.com caught up with Home United midfielder Izzdin Shafiq, who also competed in the ASEAN Zonal 2017 final, to get his perspective on the next shock.
Hello Izzdin, we are only a few days away from the AFC 2018 ASEAN Cup Final now – what do you think of the match against Ceres?
Izzdin: Last year, we were unlucky. This made us to be more hungry for victory. And this year we have a new set of players. All show a good character and a great fighting spirit. I think we have a very good luck
As you say, this is a rehearsal of the final last year, what are your memories of this series of games?
Izzdin: We defeated them 2-1 at home but lost 2-0 to Bacolod City. I also remember that we had some chances during the match but we could not score. In short, I believe that their team is not unbeatable.
You have played several times against Ceres in this competition – twice in the 2018 group stage – what are their strengths and are there any players in particular?
Izzdin: They have a lot of good quality players in the team. They are strong in attack; when they attack, they attack in numbers. But for me, we must keep an eye on their number 12, Stephan Schröck (photo below). The stop will greatly weaken the team.
Their top scorer, Bienvenido Marañon, is suspended for these two games, what impact can this have on your team?
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At the last meeting between your teams, Home United was victorious in the Philippines. Psychologically, how much can that be a factor in the match, with the first step of Bacolod?
Izzdin: It's always a good feeling to defeat your opponents at home. land, especially when Ceres had not been defeated at home for two years in the AFC Cup. But this time, will be different because we are fighting for the zone title. Each team wants to be crowned champion of ASEAN. So for the first leg, we have to get a good result in Bacolod so that when we play at home, we will go into the game with confidence.
Your teammate Song Ui-yong has been in this year's terrific in the AFC Cup, can you talk a bit about what it is 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 our roles are during a match. Sometimes we do not even need to communicate verbally; simply by observation, we already know what to expect from each other. 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 Zone Champion?
Izzdin: This means a lot to us as a team and as a player; We can make a name for ourselves. We can also look back and realize that we have achieved something great in our football career. It also means a lot to the club because we are going to do the story. More importantly, we will make our nation proud as we inevitably represent our country, adding more meaning to the AFC ASEAN Cup Area title
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