Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Captain Zheng Zhi insists five-time Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande are better equipped to win the AFC Champions League this year, with the 2013 winners set to face Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates in Saturday’s final first leg at Rashid Stadium.
Zheng (pictured, right) was named AFC Player of the Year two years ago as Marcello Lippi’s Guangzhou became the first Chinese side in 23 years to land the continental title after edging out Korea Republic’s FC Seoul on away goals following an enthralling 3-3 draw on aggregate.
And having secured a fifth consecutive domestic title at the weekend, Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Guangzhou will look to take a step closer to repeating their 2013 domestic and continental treble this weekend ahead of the second leg at Tianhe Sport Centre Stadium on November 21.
“This is the second time we have played in the final and everyone is more experienced both physically and mentally because we played before, so we have more confidence this time,” said 35-year-old Zheng.
“This is a different period with different coaches and a different style, but the only thing in common is that we have the confidence that we are capable of winning this championship like we did in 2013.
“The only major difference is that the team in 2013 was more attacking, and the current team is more stable.”
Zheng, along with Huang Bowen, Feng Xiaoting, Zhang Linpeng, goalkeeper Zeng Cheng and Korea Republic international defender Kim Young-gwon all won the AFC Champions League in 2013 and remain key components under Scolari.
Midfielder Huang in particular has flourished this season and was recently recalled to the China national team for this month’s joint 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Bhutan and Hong Kong.
Centre-back Kim, though, will miss Saturday’s first leg against 2014 Arabian Gulf League champions Al Ahli due to suspension.
“Kim Young-gwon is a very important player and he has made a great contribution to us, so him not playing is for sure is a great loss to the team,” added Zheng.
“But I think we have other players who can get involved with the team and they also know what the coaches are thinking, so we can deal with this problem.
“Al Ahli is a good team, although we don’t have as much experience before with this team. They have good attackers so we should focus from the first minute to the last minute.”
After beating Beijing Guoan 2-0 on Saturday to win the Super League title on the final game of the domestic season, Guangzhou stretched their unbeaten record to 26 matches in all competitions, although Al Ahli themselves have not tasted defeat in their last 18 outings.
“An away goal is very important for us, and also defence is also very important for us,” said Zheng, who lifted the trophy in 2013 after Guangzhou crucially claimed a 2-2 draw in Seoul in the first leg of the final.
“So firstly, we don’t want to concede a goal, and then we want to score one away goal and that will build a very good foundation for the second leg.”
Victory in the AFC Champions League would see Brazilian Scolari, who replaced Italian Fabio Cannavaro as coach in June, follow in the footsteps of fellow FIFA World Cup winner Lippi after the Italian masterminded the 2013 domestic and continental successes.
“Scolari is a very passionate guy so he brought more passion to the team. Scolari has struck a very good balance between attack and defence,” added Zheng.
“All three coaches are great coaches and we met the right person during the right period and that is the reason we are here.”
Photo: WSG