FC Meralco Manila seeks to consolidate PFL lead against Ceres-Negros FC

Martin Steuble of Ceres battles for possession with Manila's Curt Dizon.

FC Meralco Manila will look to make it three wins in a row when they tackle Ceres-Negros FC later this Wednesday afternoon inside Panaad stadium.

The Sparks would like to exorcise the ghosts of their last meeting against the Busmen, a nightmarish 7-0 loss last July 15 at Rizal Memorial. That setback was the very first of its kind in the Philippines Football League season for Meralco, which led to a slump in form that the team only managed to address with its back-to-back victories.

On the other hand, the hosts remain fourth on the table, eight points adrift from the lead. However, they tote four games in hand, given their continental forays that will extend later this month, at least. They are fresh from dispatching Kaya FC-Makati at the University of Makati this past weekend, 3-2.

One disadvantage the visitors will have is the absence of Manny Ott. The Philippine international is suspended for this particular fixture due to card accumulation. Also suspended for the match is Kota Kawase.

Streaming link for the upcoming matchup can be seen below:



Notes:

Sparks assistant Jeff Liman highlighted the need for the bench to step up. He added that the team has taken a more aggressive mindset on the defensive end since the departure of the Younghusbands.

San Carlos native Jinggoy Valmayor says that "everyone has stepped up since the Younghusband brothers left, and we are looking forward to the game."

Ceres conditioning coach Pepe Losada highlighted that the upcoming match is going to be different than their 7-0 win against them.

Aside from this matchup, one other PFL game scheduled, featuring JPV Marikina FC visiting Kaya FC-Makati. Kickoff is also at 4pm.