Hope springs eternal
JDT in crucial mission to qualify for AFC Champions League knockout stage
PETALING JAYA: Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) face a do-or-die mission against Gyeongnam in their final AFC Champions League Group E match at the Changwon Football Centre Stadium tonight.
JDT rekindled their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage after edging defending champions Kashima Antlers 1-0 in their penultimate Group E match at the Larkin Stadium on May 8.
JDT are the anchor team in Group E with four points but they still have a mathematical chance of advancing to the last 16.
China’s Shandong Luneng top the table with an unassailable 11 points, Kashima are second with seven points and Gyeongnam of South Korea are third with five points.
The Southern Tigers will qualify if they defeat Gyeongnam and Shandong beat Kashima.
The last clash between JDT and South Korean side Gyeongnam ended with a 1-1 draw at the Larkin Stadium on March 12.
JDT are on a roll after going on a five-match unbeaten run in all competitions while Gyeongnam have lost four of their last six matches.
Veteran defender S. Kunalan believes that they still have a good chance to create history by becoming the first Malaysia team to qualify for the round of 16.
“We know what to expect from Gyeongnam after playing them in Larkin. We were unlucky to not win that game but we are a better side now,” said the former international.
“I still remember that game was at the early stage of the season so we were not firing on all cylinders yet. I think we are playing better as a unit now as we have reached the half stage of the season. The players understand each other better now.”
“We are in good stead following our five-match winning streak. We also beat Kashima so our morale is quite high at the moment.”
The Southern Tigers will be without hotshot attacker Safawi Rasid who is serving a one-match suspension after collecting two yellow cards.
“We will miss Safawi, he’s one of our main goal poachers but we also have other forwards like Syafiq (Ahmad) and Akhyar (Rashid) who can play well with our main striker Diogo (Santo),” said the 32-year-old Kunalan.