Prior to the Reds' departure for Jinan, coach Aurelio Vidmar and captain Travis Dodd were both cautious of the danger for United to feel satisfied after their first up win in the AFC Champions League against the Pohang Steelers.

After stunning the reigning ACL title holders, Vidmar says it will be important that the Reds enter the match with Shandong with the same desire and hunger to get another three points.

"We're happy where we're at but we've also got to be mindful that we're not complacent because although it was a fantastic win against Pohang, we can't get too carried away with it.," Vidmar said.

"There's another five games where we need to roll up our sleeves and do very well to make sure we qualify for the Round of 16.

"We're going there in a very good mood, very buoyant and very confident that we can get a result.

"If we play to our potential, which we showed two weeks ago, then I can't see any reason why we can't win."

Dodd shares Vidmar's sentiments, in that while the Reds have had a successful past month, they cannot afford to rest on their laurels.

"We've had three good results, the last two in the A-League and the first one of the ACL, so it's a good start but we need to get on with it," Dodd said.

Without an extensive knowledge of their opponents, United will spend part of its time in Jinan studying the side that finished fourth in the 2009 Chinese Super League and working out which areas it can take an advantage over the home side.

"We haven't seen a lot of them yet. We're going to be doing video sessions once we're over there but I'm sure the coaches have started to pick apart their game and look for the plays and the players that we need to watch out for," Dodd said.

"I would imagine their fans would be expecting them to win being at home so we need to frustrate them as much as we can and hopefully turn that against them."

As well as a parochial Chinese crowd, another hurdle the Reds will need to come to grips with is the near freezing temperatures forecast in Jinan, which is a significant change from the conditions of an Australian summer.

Dodd admits it will take time to acclimatise but he believes the Reds should not have any problems adapting to the cooler climate.

"It's going to be a bit of a change for us...we've been told it could be snowing on Monday and playing in zero degrees (on Wednesday) so it's going to be tough, but I'd rather be playing in that than in the heat," Dodd said.

United's travelling party is expected to touch down in Jinan on Sunday morning at 10.30am (local time). The match will be played on Wednesday 10 March 2010 at the Shandong Sports Centre (Kick-Off 6.00pm ACDT).