Shanghai Shenhua head coach Choi Kang-hee has called for focus as his side face FC Tokyo for the second time in three days in Group F of the 2020 AFC Champions League.
The Chinese side managed a narrow win courtesy of a 72nd minute penalty scored by Yu Hanchao, giving Shanghai Shenhua their second win of the campaign and placing them in second place in the group.
“I felt that we were lucky to win the first game,” said Choi. “We have to treat our opponents seriously. We are still facing difficulties and we need to stay focused. I trust the players to accomplish our target and play well.”
With a win, a draw and a loss from the first three group stage games, head coach Kenta Hasegawa’s FC Tokyo side need a result today if they are to stand any chance of progression to the Round of 16.
“We played the first game and now we know the atmosphere in Doha, the stadiums and our opponents too so now we can play an aggressive Tokyo FC style,” said Hasegawa.
Perth Glory win gives us confidence: Ulsan’s Kim
Head coach Kim Do-hoon believes his Ulsan Hyundai side will take confidence from their 2-1 comeback victory against Perth Glory as the two sides lock horns again in Group F of the 2020 AFC Champions League today.
Two days ago, the J1-League side needed a very late rally to down their Australian opponents, having gone down to a Daniel Stynes effort 20 minutes from time before Kim In-sung and Junior Negrao scored in the final minute of normal time and late in stoppage time respectively to secure the points.
“Every single game is very important. You have to show that you leave everything on the pitch,” said Kim.
Perth Glory have a very slim shot at progression to the next stage. “We are here on a dual mission to win every game and to build a new squad with a relatively young squad with new faces ahead of the new A-League season,” said head coach Christian Ola.
The matches will be preceded by a moment of silence for Argentina legend Diego Maradona, who passed away aged 60 from a heart attack on Wednesday.
Today’s Fixtures
Group E
1pm: Melbourne Victory (AUS) vs Beijing FC (CHN)
4pm: Chiangrai United (THA) vs FC Seoul (KOR)
Group F
1pm: Ulsan Hyundai (KOR) vs Perth Glory (AUS)
4pm: Shanghai Shenhua (CHN) vs FC Tokyo (JPN)
Action from the AFC Champions League Group F match between Shanghai Shenhua (in white) and FC Tokyo (in blue) at Education City Stadium on Tuesday. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil
