Saitama: Wataru Endo admitted that AFC Player of the Year nominee Omar Khribin would be the man to watch when Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds face Saudi giants Al Hilal in the 2017 AFC Champions League final second leg at Saitama Stadium on Saturday.
The Syria international was in the thick of the action a week ago at the King Fahd International Stadium and levelled the scores for Al Hilal after Urawa striker Rafael Silva had given the visitors an early lead.
“I think he is a really good player physically, especially the way he uses his body is exceptional,” said Endo, who lined up on the right side of Urawa’s defence in Riyadh.
“It’s important to adjust to the ways he play when you face him.
“I have seen him before with the national team and have studied him.”
Khribin had several chances to add to his tally in the first leg, but was denied by a Tsing Tsao Man of the Match performance from Urawa custodian Shusaku Nishikawa.
“He [Khribin] had a real intensity when attacking crosses and even when under pressure from defenders he is always looking to take on shots, I sensed that in the first leg,” added goalkeeper Nishikawa.
“We have to defend aggressively against him to prevent him showing what he can do.
“He has real power and ability and I’ve also played against him several times for the national team when we played against Syria. Then, too, we were scouting him and knew he was a key player we had to take care of. Make no mistake, he’s an incredibly high-leveled player.”
Nevertheless, there is a sense of confidence amongst the Reds players that, having come through a testing tie in Saudi Arabia with a 1-1 draw, they can repeat the efforts of their 2007-winning side.
“The away game was very difficult, but we’re very positive about the result we got,” added Endo.
“In terms of preparation, we’ve taken very good care of our condition – doing the same routine for every game.
“We’re at home on Saturday, where we haven’t lost a game in a while, so I’m very confident about the match and hoping to get the win,”
Photo: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com