With the tie delicately poised at 1-1 on aggregate, Sydney FC Head Coach Graham Arnold says the Sky Blues hold their AFC Champions League destiny in their own hands ahead of Wednesday night’s clash.
Facing Shandong Luneng in the second leg of their round of 16 tie tomorrow night, Arnold said that while the Sky Blues hold the advantage with an away goal on the board, they have to be prepared for anything that may crop up over the course of the match.
“In the Champions League our form has been excellent,” Arnold said.
“We came through a very tough group where no one gave us a chance of coming through and we find ourselves in a position where we’ve got everything in our hands. We’ve got to make sure we keep it in our hands, it’s in our destiny tomorrow night.
“With a game like tomorrow night you’ve got to have more than one plan.
“We’ll start off with our gameplan to win the game but we’ve got to be ready for anything that could happen.
“Myself mentally, I’ve got four or five plans ready that may need to occur during that 90 minutes.
“It’s extremely dangerous if you try and play for a draw or sit back,” he continued.
“We’re at home so we’ve got to go out with the intention to win the game. It’s 90 minutes we want it done by, but if it goes to 120 we’re prepared for that mentally and physically.”
Arnold confirmed that he had a fit squad to choose from, with Sebastian Ryall the only exception, as he said confidence was ripe in the group ahead of tomorrow’s encounter at the Sydney Football Stadium.
“We’re fit, we’re healthy, there was no injuries after the game last week,” Arnold said.
“Obviously Alex Brosque is still out, Seb Ryall is the only question mark whether he comes back or not but other than that everyone else is fit, mentally fresh and very keen for the game.
“The atmosphere in the group is outstanding, the moral is high and they’re proud of their performance last week.”
Sydney FC take on Shandong Luneng at the Sydney Football Stadium in the second leg of their AFC Champions League round of 16 clash. Get your tickets today and be at the SFS for an historic Sky Blue night.
Sydney FC’s 2016 AFC Champions League campaign proudly supported by StarTrack and UNSW
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