Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Coach Le Huynh Duc is sweating on the fitness of a trio of players as the Vietnam champions SHB Da Nang prepare to open their AFC Cup Group G campaign against Myanmar’s Ayeyawady United on Wednesday at Chi Lang Stadium.
Da Nang won the V-League title for the third time last year to earn a return to the AFC Cup for the first time since reaching the quarter-finals in 2010.
But defender Tran Hai Lam, midfielder Nguyen Minh Phuong and Argentinean striker Sebastian Gaston Merlo are all battling to be fit after Da Nang beat National Cup winners Xuan Thanh Saigon 4-0 in the season-opening Vietnamese Super Cup on Saturday.
“We played a very hard Super Cup game just a few days ago, that’s why many of my players are not fully fit at the moment especially Minh Phuong, Hai Lam and Gaston Merlo,” said Da Nang coach Huynh Duc (pictured).
“We also don’t have a lot of information about Ayeyawady. They are from Myanmar so I am sure they will have a lot of physical strength. We will always respect our opponent so we will start the game carefully.”
Ayeyawady, meanwhile, are making their second consecutive AFC Cup appearance after winning the 2012 MFF Cup.
Last year, Ayeyawady narrowly missed out on a place in the Round of 16 on head-to-head record after picking up seven points from their five games in the group stage courtesy of home wins over Malaysia’s Kelantan and Vietnam’s Navibank Saigon.
“We know that SHB Da Nang are a strong team, they won the Vietnam Super Cup just some days ago,” said Ayeyawady coach Marjan Sekulovski.
“I have a lot of information about Da Nang, so I respect them a lot. They have a lot of good players who are playing for the national team of Vietnam.
“I want my players to play with 100% of their ability and perform to get the best result.”
East Bengal coach Trevor Morgan, meanwhile, will be sending his team on a journey into the unknown when they take on Malaysia’s Selangor in Group H at Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata on Wednesday.
“Although my side is in good shape having won the Federation Cup and are leading the pack in I-League, I’m not aware of the strengths and weaknesses of our rivals,” said Englishman Morgan.
“We will also be cautious initially and then go for three points later.”
East Bengal drew their most recent I-League game away to Mohun Bagan but lead the league standings by one point from Churchill Brothers having played two games more than the second placed team.
Selangor, meanwhile, have slipped down to second in the Malaysian Super League after a recent 2-0 loss to new league leaders ATM and a scoreless draw with PKNS.
Coach Irfan Bakti will send his team into the meeting with little information on East Bengal and will exercise caution in the early stages of the game.
“We have only seen one DVD of East Bengal against a Yemeni side so we are not aware of their current strength,” he said.
“We know that the team has a reliable defender in Uga Okpara. We will assess them initially and then go on the attack and for the win. We hope it will be a good match.”