AFC Cup: Tough encounters in the offing
Kuala Lumpur: The battle lines were drawn for the 2011 AFC Cup with the draw for the group stage on Tuesday throwing up intriguing encounters across the continent.
Twenty-eight teams came out of the pots to be slotted into eight groups of four teams each. Four teams that miss out on the AFC Champions League will complete the line-up. Five groups are in the West and three in the East.
2010 AFC Cup runners-up Kuwait’s Al Qadsia were placed in Group B alongside the AFC Champions League Play-off 1 loser, Yemen’s Al Saqr and Uzbekistan’s Shurtan.
Inaugural AFC Cup champions Al Jaish from Syria and Jordan champions Al Faisaly, who won two consecutive titles in 2005 and 2006 and were runners-up to Shabab Al Ordun in 2007, look strong in Group C to take the top two berths after being slotted with Al Nasr (Kuwait) and Iraqi champions Duhok.
In Group E, attention will be focused on Syrian giants Al Karamah, who finished runners-up in the 2006 AFC Champions League and 2010 edition of the AFC Cup, and 2009 Iraq champions Arbil after they were pooled with Al Ahed of Lebanon and the winner of Oman’s Sultan Cup between Fnjaa and Al Oruba.
2009 AFC Cup winners Kuwait SC will battle it out for one of the top two spots, which guarantees a place in the Round of 16, with Al Talaba (Iraq), Al Wehdat (Jordan) and Al Suwaiq (Oman).
Group A will see AFC Champions League Play-off (West) 2 loser, Al Ansar (Lebanon), Nasaf (Uzbekistan) and Al Tilal (Yemen).
In the East division, focus will be on Group H with South China (Hong Kong) and Chonburi FC (Thailand) in the fray with East Bengal (India) and Persipura Jayapura (Indonesia).
Group F comprises Hong Kong’s TSW Pegasus, Song Lam Nghe An of Vietnam, Maldives side VB and ACL Play-off 2 (East) loser.
Completing the groupings is Group G with Maldivian outfit Victory, ACL Play-off 1 (East) loser, Singapore’s Tampines Rovers and Hanoi T&T (Vietnam).
The group stage kicks off on March 1 and culminates on May 11. The Round of 16 will be played on May 24 and 25.
The two-legged quarter-finals take place on September 13 and September 27. The semi-finals will be held on October 4 and 18, followed by the one-off final on October 29.
THE GROUPINGS WESTGroup A
ACL Play-off 2 (West), Al Ansar (LIB), Nasaf (UZB), Al Tilal (YEM)
Group B
Al Qadsia (KUW), ACL Play-off 1 (West), Al Saqr (YEM), Shurtan (UZB)
Group C
Al Faisaly (JOR), Duhok (IRQ), Al Nasr (KUW), Al Jaish (SYR)
Group D
Al Suwaiq (OMA), Al Wehdat (JOR), Al Talaba (IRQ), Kuwait SC (KUW)
Group E
Al Ahed (LIB), Fnjaa or Al Oruba (OMA), Al Karamah (SYR), Arbil (IRQ)
EASTGroup FACL Play-off 2 [亞冠外圍賽敗者] (East),
TSW Pegasus 天水圍飛馬 (HKG), Song Lam Nghe An 大南城主 (VIE), VB (MDV)
Group G
ACL Play-off 1 (East), Tampines Rovers (SIN), Victory (MDV), Hanoi T&T (VIE),
Group H South China 南華 (HKG), Chonburi 春武里 (THA), Kingfisher East Bengal 翠鳥東孟加拉 (IND), Persipura Jayapura 佩斯普拉 (IDN)
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天水圍飛馬/南華賽程GROUP F01/03/2011 (Tuesday) 大南城主 vs
天水圍飛馬 Vinh Stadium
15/03/2011 (Tuesday)
天水圍飛馬 vs [亞冠外圍賽敗者] Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground
13/04/2011(Wednesday) VB vs
天水圍飛馬 National Stadium, Male
26/04/2011 (Tuesday)
天水圍飛馬 vs VB Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground
04/05/2011(Wednesday)
天水圍飛馬 vs 大南城主 Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground
11/05/2011 (Wednesday) [亞冠外圍賽敗者] vs
天水圍飛馬 TBC
GROUP H02/03/2011 (Wednesday)
南華 vs 佩斯普拉 Hong Kong Stadium
16/03/2011 (Wednesday) 春武里 vs
南華 Chonburi Stadium
13/04/2011 (Wednesday)
南華 vs 翠鳥東孟加拉 Hong Kong Stadium
26/04/2011 (Tuesday) 翠鳥東孟加拉 vs
南華 Yuba Bharathi Krirangan Stadium
03/05/2011(Tuesday) 佩斯普拉 vs
南華 Gelora Bung Karno Stadium
10/05/2011 (Tuesday)
南華 vs 春武里 Hong Kong Stadium
http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/clubs/afc-cup/31697-afc-cup-tough-encounters-in-the-offing[ 本文被OldSosad在2010-12-07 21:49重新編輯 ]
