Sailors, Tampines aim to do better in new ACL Two

The rebranded 2024-25 Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two competition has yet to kick off, but Singapore Premier League teams Lion City Sailors and BG Tampines Rovers would already have cause for optimism.

-  Deepanraj Ganesan

Both sides avoided clubs from powerhouses Australia, Japan and South Korea in an Aug 16 draw in Kuala Lumpur for the new secondtier continental club competition.

The ACL Two will see 32 teams in eight groups playing a homeand-away round-robin from Sept 17 to Dec 5.

The format top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stages.

The Sailors, who qualified for the competition as the top-ranked local side in the 2023 SPL, are in Group F along with China Super League second runners-up Zhejiang Professional, Indonesia's Liga 1 champions Persib Bandung and Port recently Port FC, Thai League I's thirdplaced side.

Incidentally, signed Lions defender Irfan Fandi.

Tampines are in Group G with Thai FA Cup holders Bangkok United, Hong Kong Premier League champions Lee Man FC and VLeague 1 champions Nam Dinh FC.

Japan's Sanfrecce Hiroshima will have Australia's Sydney FC, Kaya FC-Iloilo of the Philippines and Hong Kong's Eastern Sports Club for company in Group E.