All ready: JDT coach Esteban Solari and Fernando Forestieri (right) during a press conference ahead of the Asian Champions League (ACL) against Ulsan Hyundai on Nov 7.
PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) coach Esteban Solari says with the right focus and extra effort, they can beat the best in the continent.
And with that mindset, he has challenged his charges to bounce back in the AFC Champions League (ACL) by beating South Korean club and recently crowned K-League champions Ulsan Hyundai in the fourth Group I at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Tuesday (Nov 7).
The Southern Tigers are currently third in the group with three points and know that a win will revive their chance of getting to the last 16.
Ulsan are second in the group with six points, while Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale have nine points as the leader of the pack.
Solari wants his team to avoid making mistakes. It was minor errors that saw them losing 1-3 to Ulsan in the previous fixture.
“This is ACL, everyone takes it seriously. They want to get to the next stage. Ulsan have six national team players but we are looking forward to facing strong teams like this," he said.
“We have an identity but we need to improve. The ACL has shown us that small mistakes can be punished. Focus and extra effort are needed. We are focusing on our improvement and we will show it.
“We learnt a lot from our last ACL defeat. The early goal affected us. It happened against BG Pathum United too but we came back 4-2. Koreans, though, are different.
“Physically they are strong. They have quality, but we have our weapons too."
