Urawa Reds -Sydney FC
Osieck confident of qualification
Urawa Reds manager Holger Osieck is confident his side can join fellow J.League rivals Kawasaki Frontale into the AFC Champions League quarter-finals at the expense of Sydney FC on Wednesday night.
After no Japanese team had previously made it past the group stages of the competition, a draw for Reds at the Saitama Stadium will see both of this year’s participants in the draw for the last eight.
However, defender Marcus Tulio Tanaka may not be available for the Group E showdown due to a leg injury which forced the Japan international to miss the J.League game at Nagoya Grampus Eight on Saturday.
Nevertheless, Osieck believes his side are more than capable of completing the job against the Australians.
"It's a great opportunity for us to qualify for the next round,” he said.
“That's our target and we are in a position to make it happen on Wednesday. I think our players know very well what has to be done.
"This is a very, very important game for the club,"
Despite only needing a point, former Japan international Shinji Ono insisted the Reds would not be playing for a draw.
"We know our opponents want to beat us and it won't be an easy game,” he said.
“But we'll play as a unit, including those who won't get to play on the day.
“We'll get through to the quarterfinals with the win."
Reds battled back from two goals down to claim a 2-2 draw in their previous meeting in Sydney on March 21.
And Osieck underlined that his team are a different proposition to two months ago and Wednesday’s encounter would be ‘a completely different game.’
The German coach added: "Sydney have some players with quality and if it goes their way, they can be dangerous.
“But I think we are aware of that and are well prepared. We are ready for them.
"I’m confident that we are a strong team, definitely. We can reach our target on Wednesday. I'm convinced about that."
For Sydney, only a win will do if they are to make the knockout stages of the competition in the inaugural season for A–League clubs.
Boss Branko Culina has injury worries over Mark Rudan and Ufuk Talay, who have calf and hamstring strains respectively, while Iain Fyfe picked up a knock during training, although all three are expected to be fit to play. Robert Middleby is suspended however.
Sydney will have to pull off what on paper appears to be an unlikely victory in front of 60,000 fanatical fans in Saitama and Culina is no doubt how bigger an achievement it would be if they pulled it off.
"Trying to beat Urawa Reds in Japan is the biggest challenge that Sydney FC has encountered in its short history," he said.
"For Sydney FC to qualify for the last eight of the AFC Champions League in its first season would be an enormous achievement.
"World Cups aside, if Sydney wins in Japan it will be the greatest achievement in Australian football history."
And the Serbian coach believes the fact they need three points to qualify after being held to a goalless draw by Shanghai Shenhua two weeks ago will work to the Australians’ advantage.
"We are far more comfortable when we are allowed to express ourselves and play our attacking football," added Culina.
"I think the pressure will be on Urawa Reds who, like us, like to attack.
“All of a sudden they will be required to sit back and hold on to a result."
www.afcchampionsleague.com
Sydney Ready To Upset Urawa
Sydney FC are quietly confident ahead of their crunch Asian Champions League match against J-League power Urawa Red Diamonds.
"We’ve won the majority of games we’ve played in Asia ," FC striker David Zdrilic tells au.fourfourtwo.com. "And we showed we can match Urawa on our own patch where we were unlucky not to win.
"We definitely respect them and they’ll have a huge following but at the same time we’re capable of scoring and providing an upset like we did against Shanghai on match day one."
Skipper Mark Rudan added that "there was no pressure on Sydney… all the pressure is on Urawa ."
Fuelling the optimism were the unconfirmed reports that Reds key man Washington and Robson Ponte have expressed private doubts about coach Holger Osieck’s tactical ability.
Washington was subbed off in the side’s recent 0-0 draw with Shanghai Shenhua and reportedly threw a tantrum after he left the pitch.
Midfielder Noel Spencer told au.fourfourtwo.com that Sydney have a mental edge going in. "Sometimes if you know you don't have to win a game, you do take your foot off the pedal a bit. We've got to throw everything at them but it's a tricky situation for them. The boys are well prepared."
The weather in Saitama looks to be perfect for football with temps in the lower 20s this week.
New Injury Won't Stop Sydney
EXCLUSIVE: FC fans rest easy - it wasn't David Carney, or Alex Brosque or even Steve Corica.
It was Branko Culina who was hobbling this afternoon after the Sydney FC maestro – who's hoping to inflict pain on Urawa Red Diamonds this Wednesday night in the ACL - strained his calf muscle at today's FC training session.
At the team walk later in the day, a limping Culina told au.fourfourtwo.com: “It's age catching up with me!”
The 50-year-old had his side focussing on shape and tactics at the session ahead of the must-win showdown with the cashed up J-League kings Urawa Reds.
“It was a lighter session today as we've trained quite hard since we've been here so we're tapering towards Wednesday night," FC striker David Zdrilic told au.fourfourtwo.com.
"We worked on team shape today and to finetune a few tactical areas,”
The whole squad was awestruck by the Reds' training facilities where they trained today.
“The facilities are for a big club. There are not many clubs that have what Urawa Red Diamonds have – they are one of the best," added Zdrilic.
The facilities put the spotlight on FC's ad hoc training facilities back in Sydney.
The club train at a variety of locations, including a public park behind Parramatta stadium.
Not that Zdrilic is putting too much store in the disparity in money and facilities ahead of the big match on Wednesday.
“At the end of the day sure you may have everything behind you, but it's 11 v 11 and we've already shown that we can more than match it with the Reds and other teams," he said.
"And with a bit of luck we'd be in with an even better chance of going through. We are very positive but on our day, we can defeat them.
"And the way I see it, there's a lot of pressure on them." said Zdrilic.
"If things don't go their way early on, the pressure might get to them. It's like our game with Shanghai Shenhua in Sydney.
"We needed to score and we were trying and trying and you really feel it. Hopefully that'll be the same for them and we can get in their face,”
Less impressive is Saitama itself - a place duller than John Howard playing Tiddlywinks.
With downtown Tokyo deemed too far away for a quick trip, the FC players and support staff have been wiling away their time in between training at various coffee shops and shopping malls in the least attractive-looking town FourFourTwo has visited. Ever.
But all that will be forgotten if on Wednesday night if they come away from the cauldron of the Reds Wonderland with maximum points.
Even the hobbling Branko Culina will celebrate that.
au.fourfourtwo.com