With A-League bragging rights on the road, Thursday night time’s AFC Cup zonal remaining might be a “hostile” affair.
That’s the assumption of Macarthur FC midfielder Jake Hollman, whose facet hosts the Central Coast Mariners at Campbelltown Stadium.
The winners is not going to solely clinch the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) part of the event and pocket greater than $150,000 in prizemoney, however can even progress to an inter-zonal, two-leggled semi-final in opposition to Indian membership Odisha.
The mixture winners from that encounter will then contest the inter-zonal play-off remaining in opposition to both Kyrgyzstan membership Abdysh-Ata Kant or Taiwanese outfit Taichung Futuro.
The reward for a win there’s a berth within the AFC Cup remaining, from which the winners will earn
$2.3 million and a spot in subsequent season’s AFC Champions League Elite competitors.
“It’ll make for a really hostile game because both teams know what’s on the line,” Hollman stated.
“It’s very important for both clubs … and it’s just the pride aspect as well of beating our neighbours up the coast.”
Hollman stated the Bulls’ AFC Cup journey – that had included journeys to Cambodia, the Philippines and Myanmar – had been “hard” however “rewarding”.
“Sometimes you’re sleeping on very hard beds, you’ve got to be careful with what water goes into your mouth, what foods you eat but it’s very rewarding when you come away with the win, get to travel home and play again (in the A-League) on the weekend,” he stated.
“Every player will tell you they just want to play games. I’ve been enjoying it.”
The Mariners’ journey to the zonal decider has included matches in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Source: www.news.com.au
