ISKANDAR PUTERI − Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) head coach Benjamin Mora wants his charges to focus on winning their remaining two AFC Champions League Group I matches against Guangzhou FC tomorrow and Ulsan Hyundai on April 30.
He believes that his men will do their level best, especially after Japanese champions Kawasaki Frontale moved to the top of the group standing.
“We don’t need to think about Ulsan and Kawasaki (in terms of points) − we don’t really care what happens over there − we care about us collecting the three points tomorrow and another three versus Ulsan.
“That is our objective − collecting the six points and we don’t think of what others can do. We need to think of our side and from there − after both matches − they will do the mathematics and then we will see how it goes, but we cannot depend on the others’ results,” he said at a pre-match press conference here today.
Mora said no major changes would be made to the squad and there would be new faces for tomorrow’s game.
“We will have new faces as some of the players have recovered after they didn’t play the last game, so we try to use the best at the moment. I believe we need to give the players the opportunity at the right moment,” he said.
Meanwhile, Guangzhou FC head coach Pan Yonghe said his team was prepared to take more risks in order to break JDT’s defensive line.
“So, for the next games − first facing JDT, what we will do is apply some pressure to their defences. But on our side, we will also try to improve our defence and the players are eager to score goals tomorrow and I am sure about that,” he said.
Kawasaki Frontale lead Group I with eight points, Ulsan Hyundai and JDT both have seven points each while Guangzhou, who have suffered their fourth consecutive loss, are last without any points. – Bernama, April 26, 2022
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