Wednesday, October 24, 2007
AFC Champions League, Asia
12:30 PM Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) 1.45 X 3.80 Seongnam Chunma (KOR) 5.60
Reds proceed cautiously into ACL semifinal
Shintaro Kano / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter
Urawa Reds are at a definite advantage going into today Asian Champions League semifinal against Seongnam Ilhwa, but they are not taking anything for granted.
Holger Osieck's side produced a 2-2 draw in the first leg at Seongnam three weeks ago, and the South Korean club has lost tournament top scorer Mota and midfielder Kim Cheol Ho for the match this evening because of injuries.
Plus, Reds will have a near sellout crowd on hand at 64,000-seat Saitama Stadium rallying them on. A 1-1 draw or better will see Reds into the two-leg final, which takes place on Nov. 7 and 14.
But they're not about to let down their guard just yet.
"When you start thinking you are at an advantage because you have two away goals, you've made a mistake right there already," Osieck said on Tuesday afternoon. "We're thinking about going to the final with a win. That's it.
"I don't think I need to spell out the importance of tomorrow's game. We are in a position to reach the final of the Champions League."
Osieck had received some good news a day earlier, when the manager learned that Brazilian striker Washington, who leads Urawa in the J.League with 15 goals from 22 games, would be available tonight.
Washington broke his nose in a 4-2 league victory at JEF United Chiba over the weekend for the first-place Reds, while heading in the second of his two goals in the first half alone.
Osieck raved about Washington's performance late after the game, saying the 2006 top scorer had learned to blend into the team without sacrificing his individual skills.
Washington will play with a nose guard against a very physical side in Seongnam.
"It's not as serious as we expected it to be," Osieck said. "He didn't need surgery, and he will be ready to go tomorrow."
The German coach also played down the significance of Mota and Kim's absence. Seongnam ended up first in the regular season of the K-League which finished 10 days ago, and has been preparing solely for tonight's game since then.
"We played them in the A3 Champions Cup and in the ACL, and they are as good as I expected them to be," said Osieck. "Tomorrow's game will be more than difficult.
"They are a very organized team. They have not made many changes from last season, but a team as solid as them are not about individual players. They succeed because they are good as a group."
Seongnam coach Kim Hak Bum was eerily confident despite the clear and present disadvantages his team has.
"There's no question Mota is an important player to us, but we have had success in the K-League without him," Kim said following a closed training session at Saitama Stadium. "Reds have good attacking players in Washington, Ponte and Tatsuya Tanaka, but our defense is even better. We will not lose.
"Just like they scored two goals at Seongnam, we are capable of scoring two at Saitama. I think you will see lots of goals tomorrow evening. We have every intention of winning."
(Oct. 24, 2007)
My choice is:
OVER 2.5 goals (1.65 in
Bwin)