Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: After a hectic period of Olympic football action, club competition football returns with the 2017 AFC Cup Play-off Qualifiers which begin on Friday. Join the-afc.com as we take a look at teams involved.
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Group A: Dordoi FC, Casa Benfica, Rovers FC
Dordoi FC (Kyrgyzstan)
The host club of Group A features seven members of the most recent Kyrgyzstan national squad, and several others with national team experience.
Dordoi finished second in the Kyrgyz league last season, but have enjoyed consistent dominance of their domestic league, winning the title in nine of the past twelve seasons.
The club is also experienced in Asian competition, making six consecutive appearances in the final of the now defunct AFC President’s Cup, and winning the competition in 2006 and 2007.
Casa Benfica (Macau)
Macau champions Casa Benfica will attempt to qualify for the AFC Cup after a sensational season on the home front.
Having won the Campeonato da 1ª Divisão in 2014 and 2015, Casa Benfica won 17 of 18 league matches, scoring 78 goals and conceding just four to easily secure a third consecutive title.
Rovers FC (Guam)
The Guam Soccer League champions are making history in Bishkek by becoming the first club from the country to participate in an AFC competition, but will need to overcome some major obstacles in their first appearance on the Asian stage.
Rovers FC will make a 7,400km trip from Guam to Bishkek, where they will be led by national team captain Jason Cunliffe, who led the Matao in their historic 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying wins over Turkmenistan and India.
Group B: Erchim FC, Nagaworld FC, Three Star Club
Erchim FC (Mongolia)
Erchim FC will host Group B after appearing three times in the AFC President’s Cup, a competition where they met group opponents Three Star Club twice in 2013.
The Mongolian club were unable to win either of those matches, but will be buoyed by home advantage and a strong start to the 2016 Mongolian Premier League season.
Nagaworld FC (Cambodia)
Nagaworld FC are another club featuring a number of players with international experience, although only two – Sos Suhana and Sary Matnorotin – featured in Cambodia’s recent 2-1 upset win over Singapore.
Further afield, Nagaworld will call on the experience of 38-year-old Japanese captain Masahiro Fukazawa, who has played at the top level in Japan, Thailand and Singapore, as well as 30-cap Cambodian international Khim Borey.
Three Star Club (Nepal)
The Lalitput-based club provided five of the most recent Nepalese national team squad, and their stock of local players is complemented by imports such as Nigerian defender Peter Segun.
24-year-old striker Asim Jung Karki has returned to the squad after a long injury lay-off, and scored twice in Three Star’s 5-0 recently friendly win over APF.
Group C: FC Tertons, Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra Limited, Tatung FC
FC Tertons (Bhutan)
If Group C hosts FC Tertons are to progress beyond the qualifying stage for the 2017 AFC Cup, they will need to arrest a downturn in form which saw them miss out of qualification for the final stage of their domestic league.
Tertons won just four of 14 matches in the Thimphu League – from which the top three clubs qualify for the final, national league stage – to narrowly avoid the relegation play-offs, will be hoping their home advantage can help them recapture the form which saw them became national champions in 2015.
Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra Limited (Bangladesh)
Another club struggling on the domestic front is Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra Limited, who are currently languishing towards the foot of the Bangladesh Premier League.
The Bangladeshi club will be hoping for goals from Fikru Teferra. The combative Ethiopian striker has experience in Czech, Finnish, South African, Thai and Indian football.
Tatung FC (Chinese Taipei)
The Taipei club produced plenty of goals in the most recent Intercity Football League season, racking up 46 in fourteen matches – including nine against Taichung City and 11 against Air Source Development – but finished seven points behind league winners Taipower FC.