PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) Argentinian striker Fernando Forestieri hopes to play a bigger part in a bid to exact revenge against Korean-League champions Ulsan Hyundai in the AFC Champions League today.
When the Southern Tigers lost to Ulsan 1-3 in the previous Group I fixture, Forestieri was on the sidelines for 46 minutes before coming on for Hong Wan in the 47th minute.
JDT will take on Ulsan in the return fixture at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri today.
Forestieri knows what is needed to be done after observing how organised Ulsan were in the previous game.
“I sat on the bench for some time before I played. As I was watching, I understood why my teammates played the way they did, it was tough. Ulsan were organised and produced a good performance,” said Forestieri.
“This time though, we are playing in our house, in front of our fans. We have the advantage and hopefully, it will be a different game tomorrow (today).”
The fans’ support alone will not be enough and Forestieri knows it only too well.
“Everyone has to put 100 percent into the game, we need to put in the extra effort. Ulsan are not easy but we are not going to see their strength,” he said.
“We just play and do the things we do best, at a maximum level. We have to be focused for 90 minutes.
“At any moment, we can score or make an important challenge to deny the opponent.
“To me, this is like a final to us, we have to stay alive in the competition.”
Meanwhile, JDT coach Esteban Solari said the competition had been bittersweet so far as they had dominated games but had not achieved the results they wanted.
Their only group win is 4-2 against Thai club BG Pathum United but lost to Kawasaki Frontale (0-1) and Ulsan (1-3).
“Doesn’t mean that if we have possession or better chances, we are the better team. Our defensive work has to be solid.
“In this tournament, you have to be strong at the back.
“We have the quality, and knowledge to be a dominant team but defensively, we have to be better,” he said.
“We face the champions of South Korea. We are motivated and focused, we know how important it is as we want to get to the next round.”
