SAITAMA, Japan —
Yokohama F Marinos manager Kevin Muscat said Wednesday his team would
not fear Andres Iniesta when they face Vissel Kobe in Thursday’s Asian
Champions League round-of-16 showdown.
اضافة اعلان
J-League leaders
Yokohama take on the Spanish legend’s Kobe as Asia’s top club competition
resumes with the East region playing its entire knockout round in the Japanese
city of Saitama.
Kobe are aiming to
win the continental title for the first time and have assembled a star-studded
squad built around the World Cup winner and former Barcelona star.
But Yokohama are
riding high in the domestic J-League and Muscat said he was not worried about
Iniesta’s influence as the two Japanese clubs prepare for the do-or-die
continental clash.
“He’s obviously
had a very distinguished career and it’s not only Iniesta — they have some
individuals like we also have some really good individuals that can decide
moments in the game,” said the Australian.
“We haven’t
prepared or done anything different for individual players. We prefer to focus
on the collective.”
Kobe’s progress in
the
Champions League has been in stark contrast to their form in the J-League,
where they languish third from bottom with two-thirds of the season gone.
Current boss
Takayuki Yoshida — Kobe’s third manager this season — said Iniesta was likely
to play against Yokohama after shaking off an injury.
“It’s true that
our game changes a little whether he plays or not but that doesn’t just go for
Andres — each player has his own characteristic and the team changes according
to that,” said Yoshida.
Daegu FC and
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are set to square off in an all-South Korean round-of-16
clash earlier on Thursday.
Daegu are in
crisis mode after manager Alexandre Gama quit on Sunday following a shocking
run of results.
Caretaker Choi
Won-kwok said he hoped to jump-start Daegu’s flatlining season by knocking out
two-time Champions League winners Jeonbuk.
“Of course,
Jeonbuk are a very strong team and not many teams in Asia can beat them,” said
the former assistant.
“But we have
beaten them before and if we have the mindset that we can beat them tomorrow,
we can get an amazing result.”
The round of 16
will continue on Friday when Hong Kong’s Kitchee take on Thailand’s BG Pathum
United.
Kitchee became the
first Hong Kong club ever to reach the competition’s knockout round when they
scored an injury-time equalizer in their final group game.
Malaysia’s
ambitious Johor Darul Ta’zim will also appear in the knockout round for the
first time, when they take on Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds.
Urawa, Champions
League winners in 2007 and 2017, will be playing at their home Saitama Stadium.
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