TOKYO (Reuters) - Urawa Red Diamonds coach Ricardo Rodriguez warned his side's Asian Champions League semi-final opponents Jeonbuk Motors that the two-time competition winners are hitting their best form in the run-up to the teams' last four clash on Thursday.
Japanese club Urawa, who won the title in 2007 and 2017, have scored nine goals in their last two games in the competition, handing Thailand's BG Pathum United a 4-0 thumping on Monday after downing Johor Darul Ta'zim from Malaysia 5-0 on Friday.
"I think we are in the best moment of the season and the best moment since I came to Urawa," said the Spaniard, who was appointed Urawa coach in December 2020.
"In this competition we have to play many games in a short time, so if we can start (each game) strongly then we can rest some players."
Urawa had two early goals ruled out against BG Pathum United before David Moberg Karlsson put the home side in front at Saitama Stadium in the 32nd minute.
Takuya Iwanami added his side's second 10 minutes later and second half strikes from Yoshio Koizumi and Takahiro Akimoto ensured Urawa would advance to a fifth Asian Champions League semi-final.
"It was a good game again," said Rodriguez. "We started with two goals disallowed and it took us more time to score, maybe because of the tiredness from the first game.
"I think we're going in a good way but the job is not yet finished. We have to go to the final."
Urawa will face South Korea's Jeonbuk who needed extra-time for the second game in a row to progress, with coach Kim Sang-sik's team denying Vissel Kobe a second semi-final appearance in three seasons with a 2-1 win over the Japanese outfit.
"All the players had very good energy and I appreciate their winning mentality and spirit," said Kim. "It was great from the players.
"I don't have any experience of playing extra-time in back-to-back matches so I don't know how we will prepare for the next game."
The victors in Thursday's clash at Saitama Stadium will advance to the final, where they will meet the team that progresses through west Asia's knockout rounds.
Those matches will be held in a centralised hub in February, with the final to be played over two legs home-and-away on Feb. 19 and 26.
(Reporting by Michael Church in Tokyo, Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
