The Chinese Super League (CSL) title-holders, Guangzhou Evergrande, are seeking their first win in the ongoing Asia Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League as they are hosting Jeju United of South Korea on Tuesday night.
The Chinese side, six-time domestic league champions and two-time continental winners, slumped to a pair of draws in their opening two encounters.
With his side trying to bring an end to their win-less streak, Guangzhou manager Fabio Cannavaro is hoping that his players will be able to break the jinx against their formidable Korean rivals.
Guangzhou Evergrande coach Fabio Cannavaro eyes to bounce back. /VCG Photo
Guangzhou Evergrande coach Fabio Cannavaro eyes to bounce back. /VCG Photo
"The Korean players have impressed me with their concentration and spirit on the pitch. If we can compare Korea to Europe, they quite are similar to the German players. On the other hand, I believe in the strength of our team and we do have the ability to control the game completely at home,” a cautious Cannavaro says.
Undoubtedly, it’s going to be a big test for Guangzhou as they are leaving no stone unturned to bounce back from a 5-4 derby loss to Guangzhou R&F in their domestic league opener even though their Brazilian striker Alan scored a hat-trick.
In their last two Champions League games, Guangzhou drew with Cerezo Osaka of Japan and Buriram United of Thailand.
As a result of those early jitters, the match against Jeju is quite crucial for the Chinese side in order to make the cut to the next stage.
The solitary win for Cannavaro’s boys came only against Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super Cup.
Elsewhere, four Chinese teams will be in action in this week’s AFC fixtures and all four will be up against their respective Korean rivals. Tianjin Quanjian to travel to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Tuesday while on Wednesday, Shanghai Shenhua will host to Suwon Bluewings and last season's semi-finalists SIPG will be up against Ulsan Hyundai at home.