Guangzhou Evergrande coach Scolari confident ahead of clash with Gamba Osaka
Chinese Super League champions unbeaten in four months going into AFC Champions League semi-final first leg at Tianhe Sport Centre Stadium
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Guangzhou Evergrande soccer coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is a man of few words, but with his Chinese Super League champions unbeaten in four months ahead of Wednesday's AFC Champions League semi-final first leg against Japan's Gamba Osaka, the Brazilian is happy to let results do the talking.
The 2013 continental champions and Chinese Super League leaders have not tasted defeat since losing the first leg of their AFC Champions League last-16 tie with Seongnam FC in South Korea at the end of May.
Having the away match first and the home match second is always better for the coach … but even though we have to play the home match first, we expect to have a good result
But after Scolari replaced Italian Fabio Cannavaro in June, the Fifa World Cup-winning coach has been on a roll.
And with Guangzhou having to travel to Japan for the second leg with 2008 AFC Champions League winners Gamba next month, extending that run at Tianhe Sport Centre Stadium would put Scolari's side in a strong position to secure a return to the continental final.
"The preparation has gone well and everything is fine with the team," said Scolari.
The match represents a rarity for Guangzhou with the Super League side having only played one of the first legs of their previous 10 AFC Champions League knockout stage ties at home.
That was during their successful 2013 campaign under Italian Marcello Lippi as Guangzhou went on to become the first Chinese side in 23 years to win the continental title.
Guangzhou have already recorded three wins in four games against J.League opposition in the AFC Champions League this season, although Japanese treble winners Gamba extended their own unbeaten record to nine games with a 3-1 win over Kashiwa Reysol, who Scolari’s side beat in the quarter-finals, on Saturday.
“I don’t like to compare Gamba with the other Japanese teams we have played this year as this is a different stage of the competition,” said Scolari. “Gamba are a strong team with great strength and their players play well in all positions.”
