Plenty of talent will be on display, with prolific goal-getters and midfield maestros among the main draws. Ahead of the matches, the-AFC.com has picked out six players to look out for.
Nguyen Quang Hai (Hanoi FC)
Nguyen Quang Hai is arguably the biggest talent in a generation of Vietnamese players that is already starting to fulfill its promise after delivering the AFF (ASEAN Football Federation) Cup at the end of last year and reaching the AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals at the beginning of 2019.
The midfielder’s skill and vision are a joy to behold and the 21-year-old is able to orchestrate the play at will as he roams the pitch, with Hanoi frontmen Nguyen Van Quyet and Ganiyu Oseni major beneficiaries of his passing ability.
Great Group Stage Goals: Nguyen Quang Hai v Yemen
Any dead-ball situation around the penalty area is in Quang Hai territory and he has already netted a number of exquisite free-kicks in his career. Hanoi may not have been able to navigate the AFC Champions League play-offs, but with Quang Hai and co., they should be a real contender in the AFC Cup.
Bienvenido Marañón (Ceres Negros)
Spanish striker Bienvenido Marañón has been scoring goals in the AFC Cup for the past three years, but it is in the last two campaigns that the 32-year-old has become one of the continental competition’s top performers.
Marañón finished as the tournament’s joint second highest scorer in 2017 with eight goals – including a stunning strike from distance against ASEAN giants Johor Darul Ta’zim – as the Filipino side reached the Inter-Zone semi-finals.
He bettered that last year by adding a further 10, with a delicate chip against Yangon United (above) the pick of the bunch. Scorer of 20 goals overall in the competition, Marañón will start the 2019 campaign as one of the most feared forwards in the ASEAN Zone.
Riko Simanjuntak (Persija)
Part of the Persija Jakarta side that won their first league title since 2001 last year, Riko Simanjuntak is the kind of player who gets fans off their seats, with the diminutive winger possessing the ability to take defenders on with both speed and trickery.
The 27-year-old is also an excellent crosser of the ball and the seven goals he created in the 2018 AFC Cup was more than any other player in the competition, while he was also among the top assisters in Indonesia’s Liga 1.
Persija gained plenty of headlines as they progressed to the ASEAN Zonal semi-finals last year, with their record-breaking crowds at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium proof of AFC Cup fever in Jakarta. If Riko delivers the goods once more, it promises to be another exciting campaign in the Indonesian capital.
Maung Maung Lwin (Yangon United)
An attacking midfielder who delivers goals and assists, Maung Maung Lwin was the joint second highest creator of goals in last year’s competition, with the right-sided player teeing up six as Yangon United reached the ASEAN Zonal semi-finals.
The 23-year-old also netted three times, while his domestic form was equally impressive as he helped Yangon win their first Myanmar National League title since 2015 and was then named the league’s Player of the Year.
Maung Maung Lwin is a regular for Myanmar’s national team and was among their standout performers at the AFF Cup at the end of 2018. If Yangon are to progress in this year’s AFC Cup, the midfielder will likely have a big say in it.
Song Ui-young (Home United)
Home United’s Song Ui-young scored goals for fun in last year’s AFC Cup, with the Incheon-born attacking midfielder netting nine in total and scoring in five successive games in his side’s run to the Inter-Zone semi-finals.
Bagging goals with both feet and his head, the 25-year-old produced a number of hugely impressive displays as Home United delivered their best performance in the competition since reaching the semi-finals in the inaugural edition in 2004.
A stunning strike against the Philippines’ Global FC in 2017 (above) remains arguably his best in the competition, although scoring home and away against Persija Jakarta last year would rank among his most influential performances for the club.
Wiljan Pluim (PSM Makassar)
Netherlands-born Wiljan Pluim will lead PSM Makassar into their long-awaited return to continental action, after the Indonesian side also took part in the AFC Champions League in 2004 and 2005.
The club captain created the highest number of goals on the Makassar team as they finished second in Liga 1 last year to progress to the AFC Cup for the first time, while he was also named in the league’s Team of the Season.
Composed in possession with excellent close control, the 30-year-old midfielder is tough to shake off the ball, shows great awareness of those around him and also weighs in with his fair share of goals.
Now that you've read about some of the stars who will be on show in the ASEAN Zone of the 2019 AFC Cup, let us know who you think will shine brightest in the group stage by casting your vote below.
