KUALA LUMPUR: Things are not looking good but Kuala Lumpur coach Miroslav Kuljanac wants to turn the tables on Cong An Ha Noi (CAHN) of Vietnam in their penultimate Asean Club Championship Group B match at the KLFA Stadium tonight.
The City Boys, who are winless in their last three matches, wants to win to keep their hopes alive for a spot in the semi-final of the competition.
The Croatian coach said his men were aiming to break CAHN’s unbeaten run, where they are on a three-match winning streak in all competitions.
“The team’s preparations haven’t gone smoothly but I don’t want to complain.
“Tomorrow’s match is crucial for us to keep our semi-final hopes alive,” said Kuljanac in the pre-match press conference.
“Of course, playing at home (gives some advantage) and knowing these players, they will fight to the end despite the challenges.“Tomorrow will be an intense match.
“The opposition are a strong team in Vietnam but with these players, anything can happen (to cause an upset).”
CAHN lead the group standings with nine points after three matches while KL are third with six points and inferior goal difference to second placed Buriram United of Thailand.
CAHN coach Mano Polking said Kuala Lumpur’s two victories in the competition shows the quality of the 2022 AFC Cup runners-up.
“We recently had an unsatisfactory result in the Vietnamese league (a 1-1 draw with Song Lam Nghe An) in our last outing. They (KL) are a different kind of opponent, having secured two wins in this tournament,” said Polking.
“They, too, aim to qualify for the semi-finals, just like us. We must be cautious because when a team under-performs in the league, they often perform differently in international competitions,” he said.
