ISKANDAR PUTERI, Sept 30 (Bernama) — Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) are expecting a difficult match against Shanghai Shenhua in the Asian Champions League Elite (ACL Elite) Tuesday night and will have to stay focused, according to JDT’s head coach.
Hector Bidoglio said despite enjoying the home-ground advantage of Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, his team need to be at their best to beat the Chinese club.
“It will be an exciting and tough game. Therefore, we need to stay focused and be competitive. We need to roar as it’s a very important game. The players are working very hard to play in the ACL Elite match.
“We know the opponents are very good. They often score goals through set-piece moves and are also good at finishing headers. But we trust in our players, who are also good,” he said at a pre-match press conference here today.
He said JDT would also need to improve their set-piece movements to walk away with three points from the match.
According to him, midfielder Enzo Lombardo has been ruled out of the match due to an injury sustained in the Super League match against Kuching City FC last Friday.
Shanghai Shenhua manager Leonid Slutsky said he is expecting a tough game against JDT but his team are ready to give their best.
The Russian-born manager singled out Arif Aiman and Natxo Insa as the JDT players who would be given extra attention by his team.
“We know JDT is a great team. They are just like Shanghai Port in the Chinese Super League, like to dominate the game and attack from various angles.
“Player number 42 (Arif) is a good player and number 30 (Insa) is also still showing a good level despite being 37 years old,” he added.
JDT drew 2-2 in their opening match against Shanghai Port on Sept 18, while Shanghai Shenhua beat South Korea’s Pohang Steelers 4-1 on Sept 17.
