ACL QF: Guangzhou Vs. Sydney Wanderers
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande will be without defenders Zhang Linpeng and Kim Young-gwon as well as forward Gao Lin and coach Marcello Lippi for Wednesday’s AFC Champions League quarter-final second leg with Australia’s Western Sydney Wanderers at Guangzhou Tianhe Sport Centre.
Both full-back Zhang and striker Gao were sent-off in the closing stages last week as the Chinese Super League champions lost the first leg 1-0 against the A-League side at Parramatta Stadium, while center-back Kim picked up a second yellow card of the knockout stage in the second half.
Italian World Cup-winning coach Lippi was also subsequently handed a provisional one-match suspension by the AFC Disciplinary Committee, although Guangzhou are boosted by the return of captain Zheng Zhi from suspension after the reigning AFC Player of the Year missed last week’s defeat.
“We are prepared. We lost the last game 1-0 so we have no choice tomorrow but to win. We have to win and we have confidence to achieve this to continue our ACL journey,” said Guangzhou assistant coach Massimiliano Maddaloni.
“The three suspended players are important for us, but a great team is not only great because we have good individuals but more about how we play together.
He added “We have good replacements for these players, and in addition our captain is coming back. He is very important to us and he will definitely bring a positive impact to the team.”
Chinese Super League leaders Guangzhou, who beat FC Seoul on away goals in last year’s final, have not had a domestic outing since the defeat in Sydney having won their previous three domestic ties.
Last week’s defeat also represented a fourth defeat in the AFC Champions League this season for the 2012 quarter-finalists who only lost once en route to a maiden continental title last year.
“If there is a penalty kick situation we are prepared to face it, but this is just a possibility. We are confident to finish it within 90 minutes,” added Maddaloni.
He stressed “We will stick to our style and try to play in our own way. I hope we can show our quality.” /End/