Eastern to face Guangzhou Evergrande in 2017 AFC Champions League
Hong Kong champions will take on the two-time champions as they make their debut in the top-tier regional competition with coach Chan Yuen-ting given an extremely tough initiation
Eastern could not have asked for a more difficult match-up in their introduction to the 2017 AFC Champions League: they will play two-time champions Guangzhou Evergrande.
After all that was said and done leading up to Tuesday’s draw in Kuala Lumpur regarding the Hong Kong champions off and then on again entry into Asia’s top-tier competition, the local side were given one of the toughest assignments they could have hoped for in the shape of the six-time Chinese Super League champions.
Eastern had originally said they were not going to compete in the competition because they didn’t have the finances but then changed their mind, drawing rivals Kitchee, Southorn and the Hong Kong Football Association into a bitter war of words as to who was to blame for the eligibility fiasco.
Now Eastern will have to contend with one of the continent’s regional powers after being drawn in group G, which also features Suwon Samsung Bluewings of South Korea and a team from Japan which will be decided after the Emperors' Cup final on January 1.
Kitchee, the Playoff Cup winners, are also in the competition but must start in the second round of the qualifiers. They must beat visitors Hanoi T&T of Vietnam on January 31 before they travel to South Korea to meet Jeju United for a place in the main draw. Kitchee want the match postponed to February 1 as the date clashes with the Lunar New Year Cup final.