Thu Dau Mot City: Jiangsu FC will not underestimate Vietnam champions Becamex Binh Duong in Tuesday’s AFC Champions League Group E opener according to coach Dan Petrescu despite the Chinese Super League side significantly strengthening their squad ahead of the new season.
Jiangsu earned just their second appearance in the AFC Champions League after beating Shanghai Shenhua in the FA Cup final at the end of last year having narrowly missed out on a place in the knockout stage on goal difference in 2013.
But ahead of the 2016 campaign, Jiangsu grabbed the headlines with the high profile signings of Brazilian trio Ramires, Alex Teixeira and Jo, while 2015 AFC Asian Cup winning defender Trent Sainsbury also arrived in the closed season.
“I know that Binh Duong is a strong team with many good players, so we have to be careful to play against them,” said Jiangsu’s Romanian coach Petrescu (pictured), who was appointed ahead of last season and oversaw a ninth place finish in the Super League as well as 1-0 win over Shanghai in the FA Cup final which secured Jiangsu’s first top-flight silverware.
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“For sure, Ramires is one of our most important players, besides Alex or Jo. They made us be stronger. He had been playing at the highest level and is still at the best level when he comes to Jiangsu.
“We’ve been preparing well for the game and of course we want to win.”
Binh Duong are appearing in the AFC Champions League for a third time and are out to build on claiming their first win in the group stage last year having recorded a 1-0 win over Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol following am earlier creditable 1-1 draw with former winners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
But having missed out on a place in the knockout stage, Binh Duong once again edged out Hanoi T&T to win the domestic league title to secure a return to the AFC Champions League.
“Jiangsu is a very strong opponent. They have many good players including world class players such as Ramires, Teixeira or Jo from Brazil,” said Binh Duong coach Nguyen Thanh Son.
“But I’m sure that our players will play at 100% to show our best quality for the fans and supporters.
“I think this game is a good chance for us not only to play, but also to learn from higher class players.”
Source: the-afc.com