Nishi tests his steps with dribbling
Manager Cerezo and Coach Mario watching over the players
In the afternoon, an official press conference was held, attended by Manager Toninho Cerezo and player Doi.
Manager Cerezo:
To play in the ACL, you have to finish in the top 3 of J1, otherwise you can't qualify. It's not a tournament just anyone can enter. It's a tournament where you earn your spot by achieving solid results domestically, so I think it's valuable for any club. We're representing Japanese clubs against international clubs, so we want to play with pride on the pitch. The players and I are happy to be in the ACL. I think it will be a very valuable experience for our future football careers. We'll be playing in a completely different environment, in an atmosphere we've never experienced before, so how much will that benefit the players? It will undoubtedly be an important match in terms of experience. The most important thing in this tournament is not to drop home games. That's how much the match environment changes away from home. I think winning at home is the minimum requirement. Then, when we go away, depending on the standings at the time and the results of other matches, we can manage the game well. We're playing against international clubs we don't usually face, so we only understand them through videos and analysis. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of match it will be for 90 minutes.
Player Doi:
Based on last year's tactics, the quality has improved even further, and our understanding and maturity have increased. I think we just need to continue to support the new players so they can show their strengths. From the outside, it might be called a "group of death," but we'll face strong opponents even after advancing from the group stage, so I'm not particularly concerned about that. Playing against strong opponents will be a good asset for my football career, and since we have a lot of young players on the team, I think it will be a good experience for them. I don't know what other players think, but I think we can enjoy competing.
From Western Sydney Wanderers, Manager Tony Popovic and player Nikolai Topor-Stanley attended.
Manager Popovic:
The foundation of our team last season was teamwork and confidence. That was crucial. To win the ACL, you need to win 14 matches. To do that, you need to show high-quality play and confidence on the pitch throughout all 14 matches. Winning the ACL was an honor for us and a very fulfilling experience. But that's all in the past. We have to start fighting for a new tournament. We'll be playing against Antlers, and we approach them with great respect. They have a history and are a team coached by a very competent manager. Against such a strong opponent, we want to fight with the determination to get a result no matter what in our first away game of this tournament. They are very strong offensively, especially when playing at home with the support of their fans, and we recognize that they are very strong. As for us, we've been preparing by focusing on our own football.
Player Topor-Stanley:
From a player's perspective, last season we approached every game without fear. We played every game with all our heart. There were no special star players on last season's team, but all the players played with a sense of sacrifice and always gave 100% on the field. As captain, winning was a great source of pride. As the first Australian club to win the ACL, we want to play with pride in this tournament as well.
After the press conference, the Western Sydney Wanderers players also held their pre-match training. Similar to Antlers, only the first 15 minutes were open to the public.
Messages for Western Sydney Wanderers on the LED ribbon vision