PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) will not only have to face a tough Shandong Taishan but also the chilly weather in the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE).
But the Southern Tigers hope to sizzle with a strong showing when they clash with the Chinese club at the Jinan Olympic Stadium today.
The forecast shows that temperature could dip as low as 2°C.
That’s why JDT arrived four days earlier in Jinan to acclimatise to the weather conditions and give a good fight to Shandong, led by South Korean coach Choi Kang-hee.
JDT’s coach Hector Bidoglio said they had a clear plan – to conquer the team and show they can handle any condition.
“We have to play our rivals and the weather. We are ready. I’m happy with how my charges have performed in the ACLE. We are competing against the best sides in Asia and are showing that we one of the best now,” said Bidoglio.
“We have been growing as a club. We have done well in the Super League, FA Cup, Malaysia Cup and now the ACLE. The way we are now, we are ready to take on Shandong.
“We are going into this game to win, our way, which is to dominate and be in the opponents’ half. We know a win would give us a better chance to qualify for the knockout stages.”
Shandong will head into the tie looking to bounce back from the 2-4 defeat suffered against Korea Republic’s Pohang Steelers, with the result pushing them to ninth in the standings with four points and out of the knockout stage spots.
They are, however, unbeaten at home on the continental stage with one win and a draw, having also beaten JDT in both of their previous meetings in the 2019 ACL.
JDT, currently fourth with seven points, will be searching for their first away win, having only collected one point from their previous two matches.
They have lost six of their last eight away games in the ACL and need a win on Tuesday to boost their hopes of advancing to the next stage.
Shandong will be pinning their hopes on Brazilian striker Cryzan da Cruz for goals, while Georgian international playmaker Valeri Qazaishvili will be tasked to provide ammunition for Cryzan but he too is capable of scoring goals.
JDT too will have their trumpcards with winger Arif Aiman Hanapi being one of the standouts in ACLE with four goals, and Spanish midfielder Juan Muniz proving to be a livewire with his superb passes and set-pieces.
