No time to waste: Johor Darul Ta’zim players at a training session at the Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium in Nakahara. — JDT FC
PETALING JAYA: Taking down the Goliath in the form of Kawasaki Frontale will not be an easy feat, but Johor Darul Ta’zim will give everything they have to cause an upset.
And rightback Matthew Davies hopes to lead the way.
Matthew knows what it is like to face the Azzurro Nero (Blue Blacks) in the AFC Champions League (ACL), as he had faced them three times in the last two years.
Last year, in the ACL group stages, they were held 0-0 by Kawasaki but were trounced convincingly 0-5 in the return fixture.
This year, in Group I, they were beaten by Kawasaki 0-1 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri and will hope to exact revenge in the return fixture at the Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium in Nakahara today.
Kawasaki are currently heading Group I after winning all four of their matches, while JDT are third with six points from four games.
“We know them very well now because we have faced them three times in the last two years. They are strong oppositions, so we are not going to take anything for granted,” said the 28-year-old Matthew.
“For us, it is like a final. We will give everything we’ve got because we want to get to the next stage of the competition.”
Matthew admitted that Kawasaki hold the edge in terms of competitive exposure as the J-League is much stronger than the Malaysian Super League.
But JDT, time and time again have shown that they have what it takes to compete amongst the best in Asia, especially with their recent performances in the continental stage.
Even in their last group game, they beat South Korean champions Ulsan Hyundai 2-1 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Nov 8.
“It’s going to be difficult for us because our league at home is not at the level of the ACL. We do not have week in, week out competitions like Kawasaki Frontale. They have high intensity and competitive matches.
“It’s tough to make that jump from the Malaysian League to the ACL. But we have shown we are capable of competing at this level and we will continue to defy the odds.”
Coach Esteban Solari said the match would be entertaining for the fans as JDT would play attacking football just like Kawasaki.
“They have a clear idea of football. They play 4-3-3. They love the possession game and utilise the flanks often. They have fast wingers and quality attacking midfielders,” said the Argentine.
“We have learnt from the last game playing against Kawasaki, that the small details matter most.”
