Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Kuala Lumpur: Captain Zheng Zhi has said Guangzhou Evergrande will not be laid back in their preparations to face debutants Western Sydney Wanderers in their quarterfinal match this August.
The 2013 AFC Champions League Chinese champions were on Wednesday drawn to face Western Sydney who were only the second Australian club reaching the last eight stages of the competition.
The reigning AFC Player of the Year assisted AFC Deputy General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John conduct the 2014 ACL Knock-out Stage draw at AFC House on Wednesday.
“This year’s competition is much more competitive than that of last year and I think all the eight quarterfinalists are quite close to each other,” the 33-year-old told The-AFC.com.
“And Western Sydney Wanderers are also a very competitive side. Although they are a younger team in the ACL, we will not relax and we will still make full preparations for our quarterfinal tie.”
Japan’s playmaker Shinji Ono returned home after his final game with Sydney Wanderers where he helped scramble the Australian club into the ACL quarterfinals on away goals against Japanese club Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
But again, this does not mean the Chinese treble winners can rest on their laurel, according to Zheng Zhi.
“Yes, Shinji Ono has returned to Japan but it does not mean our match will be easy,” he said. “Ono is a very good player but Western Sydney still garner respect as a strong team. So, his absence will not have much influence on our opponents.”
The Chinese club will also be banking on their last three editions’ experience to fight all the way to retain their title.
“We have the ability to keep the title,” he said. “Our experience in the 2012 and 2013 editions as well as our campaign so far this year will definitely help us a lot in our adventure against the Wanderers.”