SINGAPORE - The Lion City Sailors' maiden Asian Champions League (ACL) campaign will see them face reigning Chinese Super League (CSL) champions Shandong Taishan, Japanese Emperor's Cup holders Urawa Red Diamonds and the winners of the playoff between K-League 1 second runners-up Daegu FC and Thai powerhouses Buriram United.
The Singapore Premier League (SPL) champions were drawn into Group F of Asia's East Zone during Monday's (Jan 17) draw conducted virtually in Kuala Lumpur.
The Sailors will have their work cut out in their debut campaign.
Urawa have won the ACL twice - in 2007 and 2017 - and finished as runners-up in 2019.
Shandong, China's defending league and cup champions, boast several China internationals, as well as former Manchester United and Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini.
Sailors chief executive Chew Chun-Liang said after the draw: "We're looking forward to the challenge of testing ourselves against the best in Asia, even as we continue to strengthen and build capabilities at the club.
"Coach Kim Do-hoon and the team are under no illusions about the task that lies ahead in the ACL, but plans have been made, and the team are working hard so we can fly the Singapore flag with pride when the competition kicks off."
The Sailors will be looking to draw from the expertise of Kim who led Ulsan Hyundai to the 2020 ACL title, and experienced forward Kim Shin-wook, who won the competition twice in 2012 and 2016 with Ulsan and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors respectively.
The star-studded Sailors have also recently bolstered their squad with Singapore internationals Izwan Mahbud and midfielder M. Anumanthan.
Sailors' attacker Gabriel Quak said his side are ready for the challenge.
Said the 31-year-old: "It is going to be our first taste of the competition and we didn't have any preference for who we were going to face. It's not an easy group but we have to embrace it because in this competition, every match is going to be tough.
"It will be a good test for us and it'll represent a totally different challenge as compared to the league. In this tournament, we are the underdogs. But perhaps that could play to our advantage because our opponents might not know too much about us. We can go there and make a statement.
"We are all really looking forward to it."
Group-stage matches will be played on a double round-robin basis in centralised venues between April 15 and May 1. The venues have yet to be decided.
The five group winners and the best three runners-up from both the East and West Zones will advance into the Round of 16.
The knockout stage, which will be competed over single legs, is scheduled for August while the grand final will be played over two legs in February 2023.
Meanwhile in the AFC Cup draw, Hougang United who finished third in the SPL last season, were drawn into Group I with 2021 V.League 1 runners up Viettel FC, 2021 Cambodian League champions Phnom Penh Crown and 2020 Myanmar National League runners-up Hantharwady United FC.
Tampines Rovers, the SPL's other representatives, will be looking to do better on the continental stage this year. In their maiden ACL campaign last year, the Stags lost all six group games - conceding 27 goals and scoring just once in the process.
The Stags are in Group H with 2021 Malaysia Cup winners Kuala Lumpur City FC, 2019 Indonesia Cup champions PSM Makassar and either Shan United FC or Ayewady United FC from Myanmar.
Matches will be played on a single round-robin basis in centralised venues between June 24 and 30. The winners of each group and the best runners-up of the Asean zone will advance to the Zonal semi-finals.
The AFC Cup, which is Asia's second-tier club competition, was ravaged by Covid-19 in its last two editions.
The Sailors and Geylang International were slated to compete in last year's edition but missed out after the Asean Zone of the competition was axed due to the challenges of finding a suitable host to stage the centralised games during the pandemic.
In 2020, Tampines and Hougang played three games before the entire tournament was canned owing to the coronavirus.
