Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Hiroshima: Sanfrecce Hiroshima coach Hajime Moriyasu is determined that his J.League champions will make the most of home advantage when they host Western Sydney Wanderers in their AFC Champions League Round of 16 first leg at Hiroshima Athletic Stadium on Wednesday.
Hiroshima entertain debutants Western Sydney less than a month after the J.League side eliminated another A-League club from the continental competition in the form of Central Coast Mariners after a 1-0 victory for the Japanese outfit side saw them qualify for the last 16 for the first time.
Moriyasu’s side crashed out of the competition early in the group stages last year and began the 2014 edition in indifferent fashion. However, on Matchday Three the J.League side finally ended an eight-game losing streak on the continent with a shock 2-1 win over 2013 runners-up FC Seoul.
Hiroshima went the next three games unbeaten to secure their place in the knockout stages and they boast an undefeated record at home this campaign; a positive that their coach is determined to utilize on Wednesday with the visit of the Australian side.
“We want to win this home game and go to the away game with the upper hand. Of course we should be careful not to concede an away goal. But to ensure we win we should play aggressively,” said coach Moriyasu, who saw his side share a goalless draw with Vissel Kobe in the J.League on Saturday.
His players, too, share their coach’s determination to put on a performance in Hiroshima to avoid exiting the knockout stages at the first hurdle and captain Toshihiro Aoyama insists his team-mates will give their all.
“Even though this is our first time to play in the knockout stages we are still far from satisfied. We want to win our home game tomorrow and get an advantage before the away match in Australia,” said the 28-year-old midfielder.
A sub-plot to the match tomorrow is the presence of a familiar face in the visitors’ dugout in the form of Western Sydney head coach Tony Popovic who was a team-mate of Moriyasu in his playing days at Hiroshima.
“Personally I really look forward to playing a game against Popovic’s team as a head coach of Sanfrecce Hiroshima,” added the Moriyasu.