Kaya FC-Iloilo faces a tough challenge when it battles a heavily reinforced Shandong Taishan FC in the group stages of the AFC Champions League on Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
Kick off is at 8 p.m. with the Filipinos expected to have their hands full against the Chinese, who will be reinforced by a former Premier Football League star and a bronze medalist in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Marouane Fellaini.
It will be Kaya’s first game in the biggest club football competition in Asia since winning the Philippine Football League title this year.
The last time they saw action in the Champions League was in 2021 in which they lost all of their six matches in the group stages.
Aside from Shandong Taishan, Kaya will also face Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan and Incheon United of South Korea in Group G.
But the Chinese side will be a tough nut to crack as the 35-year-old Fellaini, a star from Belgium, is anchoring its attack with 10 goals and two assists in just 22 league matches.
Kaya, for its part, will bank on Copa Paulino Alcantara top scorers Daizo Horikoshi and Abou Sy, who netted six goals each in four matches.
Kaya head coach Colum Curtis said his boys’ enthusiasm and willingness to learn made it easy for them to train for the Champions League.
“Six weeks is a really short time to implement the tactics I want. We need to get them ready,” Curtis said.
“They’re inquisitive. They want to learn and work hard and that’s what you can ask from your players.”
Curtis, the Irish mentor who became Kaya’s new head coach last August, added that while Shandong is a strong club, they will be playing with no pressure as they plot an upset on their home soil.
