Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Guiyang: Coach Gong Lei is confident his Guizhou Renhe players will secure the three points they need against Kawasaki Frontale to keep their AFC Champions League Round of 16 hopes alive in their do-or-die encounter with the J.League side on Tuesday.
After first two games in Group H ended in consecutive 1-0 reverses, Gong’s side have bounced back by taking four points of Ulsan Hyundai with draw in Korea followed by a deserved 3-1 victory to end the 2012 champions’ 14-match unbeaten streak on the continent.
Those results have given the Chinese FA Cup winners a shot at the knockout stages for the first time but they must first beat Kawasaki to avoid having these dreams ended with a game still left to go.
“I believe tomorrow our players will win the game and we will play the way we won against Ulsan,” said coach Gong, who knows anything but a win will extinguish hopes of place in the last 16.
“We have had a very intensive match calendar and our injury list increased, which led to the inconsistency of our football.
“However we have showed an upward trend in our AFC Champions League campaign. The win against Ulsan has given us confidence and given us the hope of winning once more.”
When the two teams first met in their group opener in February a Renatinho (Renato Ribeiro Calixto) goal was the difference in a narrow 1-0 victory for Kawasaki, and their coach Yahiro Kazama is only too aware of the stern test his side faces in Guiyang.
“It is going be a very tough game. Some players from Guizhou have outstanding qualities and we have prepared ourselves for them,” said coach Kazama.
“We have watched their recent games and have done deep research on our opponents. But I don't want to reveal our tactics too much.
“We are in good shape at the moment and hopefully we can show that tomorrow.”