GUIZHOU Renhe Head Coach Gong Lei says his side is well prepared for the third match of their 2013 AFC Champions League campaign against Central Coast Mariners at Gosford on Wednesday evening.
GUIZHOU Renhe Head Coach Gong Lei says his side is well prepared for the third match of their 2013 AFC Champions League campaign against Central Coast Mariners at Gosford on Wednesday evening.
“We are all very well tuned for this match, all players have trained very hard and they are very well disciplined,” Lei said. “There is a three-hour difference between China and Australia and the players have adjusted well. We have done all the preparation necessary for the game and if the strategies we have designed work out as expected, we will get the points.”
Central Coast and Guizhou currently sit outside of the two second-round qualification spots of Group H of Asia-s premier club competition with both sides recording a draw and a loss in their opening two matches.
Lei is expecting a tough contest against Graham Arnold-s men with both teams looking to claim maximum points for the first time in the 2013 AFC Champions League campaign.
“The fact that the Mariners are playing at home is a big advantage for them and they will want to win. It will be tough, the game is equally important for both of us, in order to break through to the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League,” he said.
Renhe travel to Gosford on the back of their first victory of the 2013 Chinese Super League season following a 2-1 win over Wuhan Zall last Friday.
“The first win was important in boosting the confidence of the players and the victory shows how the players and team have matured strategically, so these two factors are obviously very important for the preparation for the game against the Mariners,” the former Chinese international player said.
Lei insists Guizhou have done their homework and will be keeping a close eye on some of Central Coast-s top talent.
“We have been following the Mariners for quite some time leading up to this game. Some of the stand out players that we will be watching are (Daniel) McBreen, (Bernie) Ibini, (Michael) McGlinchey and the captain (John) Hutchinson, who obviously used to play in China.”
Australian Jonas Salley, a former team mate of Hutchinson and Adam Kwasnik at Chengdu Blades is expected to feature for Guizhou in tomorrow-s match with the yellow and navy. He will be no stranger to Hyundai A-League fans after his time with New Zealand Knights, Sydney FC, Adelaide United and Gold Coast United.
Salley says his team is confident ahead of Wednesday-s encounter but admits his side must be on their toes if they are to snatch a victory against Arnold-s men.
“We work well as a team and we think that we can win here, but we have to do our jobs. It will not be easy for us, but we are going to fight and hopefully we get the result,” he said.
2013 AFC Champions League Matchday 3 – Central Coast Mariners (AUS) vs. Guizhou Renhe (CHN)
Wednesday 3 April, 2013
Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
Kick-off: 7:00pm
Tickets: Please CLICK HERE to purchase tickets to the match!
Twitter: Join the match conversation on Twitter. The official hash-tag is #CCMvGR
