BELMOPAN, Belize (CMC) — Belizean Premier League club Verdes FC will be hoping to continue their magical run in the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf League when they face El Salvador’s Alianza in the first leg of the round of 16 here today.

Verdes became the first team from Belize to win an SCL series when they eliminated Salvadoran club Platense in the preliminary round via the away-goal tiebreaker after a 2-2 draw on aggregate.

Another Salvadoran club stands in Verdes’ way of taking another step forward, but with key pieces like attacker Edwin Villeda Bernal, Christian Sanchez and Camilo Fajardo in the mix, Verdes will fancy their chances at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan.

Villeda Bernal had a goal and an assist in the Platense series while Sanchez is currently one of the most accurate passers in the tournament with 94 per cent of passes completed.

Fajardo is also a goal threat, evidenced by his score in last year’s SCL.

Alianza will be making their debut in this 2022 SCL after claiming both the 2021 Apertura and 2022 Clausura in Salvadoran football.