Sydney FC coach Branko Culina has warned Shanghai Shenhua they will face a much improved outfit when the two teams meet in tonight's AFC Champions League game in Sydney.
The Australian outfit scored an impressive 2-1 win over the Chinese team in Shanghai in the opening round of the ACL but Culina believes his charges will be even better this time around.
"We are expecting a competitive game - they are the pride of Shanghai and the pride of Chinese football," Culina told a packed press conference at Star City in Sydney.
"But I think it is fair to say we have improved a fair bit from the start of the competition.
"When we played the first game in Shanghai a couple of months ago I really didn't know what to expect - not only from the opposition but from our own team.
"And whilst we got a desired a result and put in a solid performance you can tell our players have improved as we have gone through the competition, and I am really excited by what these guys are capable of."
Sydney currently sit in second place on the table, just one point behind Japanese side Urawa Reds, and it is expected that the group winner will be decided when the inaugural A-League champions meet the current J.League champions in the final round in Saitama later this month.
And while Shanghai Shenhua are propping up the table with just one point from four games, Culina stressed that his side cannot afford to get ahead of itself.
"We are really looking forward to that game in Japan on May 23 and making sure we give ourselves every opportunity to win the group," said Culina.
"But the concern for me in tonight's game is that we don't think about what will happen in two weeks' time but what will happen tonight.
"We need to be focused. We have everything to play for."
Shanghai's Uruguayan coach Osvaldo Gimenez also indicated that his side will be a much stronger unit, saying he will be able to play his three key marquee players - Uruguayans Fernando Correa (midfield), Sergio Blanco (striker) and Diego Alonso (striker) - together for the first time in this competition.
"We have brought 17 players and the ideal plan is to win the game," Gimenez said succinctly.
"Obviously, with our losses and the fact we cannot make it to the quarter-finals means we have changed our views somewhat, but we want to be first and we want to win.
"There is going to be a lot of Australian Chinese supporters at the game and we want to perform our best for them."
"We are expecting a competitive game - they are the pride of Shanghai and the pride of Chinese football," Culina told a packed press conference at Star City in Sydney.
"But I think it is fair to say we have improved a fair bit from the start of the competition.
"When we played the first game in Shanghai a couple of months ago I really didn't know what to expect - not only from the opposition but from our own team.
"And whilst we got a desired a result and put in a solid performance you can tell our players have improved as we have gone through the competition, and I am really excited by what these guys are capable of."
Sydney currently sit in second place on the table, just one point behind Japanese side Urawa Reds, and it is expected that the group winner will be decided when the inaugural A-League champions meet the current J.League champions in the final round in Saitama later this month.
And while Shanghai Shenhua are propping up the table with just one point from four games, Culina stressed that his side cannot afford to get ahead of itself.
"We are really looking forward to that game in Japan on May 23 and making sure we give ourselves every opportunity to win the group," said Culina.
"But the concern for me in tonight's game is that we don't think about what will happen in two weeks' time but what will happen tonight.
"We need to be focused. We have everything to play for."
Shanghai's Uruguayan coach Osvaldo Gimenez also indicated that his side will be a much stronger unit, saying he will be able to play his three key marquee players - Uruguayans Fernando Correa (midfield), Sergio Blanco (striker) and Diego Alonso (striker) - together for the first time in this competition.
"We have brought 17 players and the ideal plan is to win the game," Gimenez said succinctly.
"Obviously, with our losses and the fact we cannot make it to the quarter-finals means we have changed our views somewhat, but we want to be first and we want to win.
"There is going to be a lot of Australian Chinese supporters at the game and we want to perform our best for them."
Copyright (c) Press Association
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