Takasaki heading to the pitch
Today in Sydney, unfortunately, it rained. The rain intensified after the training session began, but the players warmed up and then did passing drills.
Ohashi and Caio smiling
After about an hour of training, the players returned to their accommodation to prepare for the match.
Banner displayed at Parramatta Stadium
Additionally, a pre-match press conference was held at 2:30 PM, attended by head coach Toninho Cerezo and player Ueda.
Coach Cerezo:
Hello everyone. I think tomorrow will be a very exciting match. Our home game was a very good performance. Unfortunately, due to individual mistakes, we lost, but I believe we had a chance to win based on the content of the game. This time we have to fight away from home, and the opponent's supporters might be louder, but we have prepared well. We are confident in that, and I think it's important to show what we need to do on the pitch. I think it will be a very entertaining and interesting match for the spectators who come to the stadium. The opponent is also highly skilled, and I think we will see a lot of interesting football.
Due to travel, we only had one day to practice. There are many lessons learned from the previous encounter, and what is said in the analysis is that the opponent's height and strength are their advantages. In the previous match, we conceded from long throws and set pieces. We don't need to be afraid of such strengths of the opponent. Since we are all human, it is necessary to fight properly. And if we show our own football, the part where we connect passes, I think the team that performs well will be closer to victory.
There are no injured players. Our team has a small number of players to begin with, but all the players are motivated, so the players who play should do their best. Regarding Ogasawara, who is returning from injury, we need to be careful. We want to make a decision while observing his condition.
In the home match, we conceded three goals, one from a long throw and two from individual mistakes. In terms of content, we created many chances but couldn't do the decisive work, the most important thing, which is to score. However, time has passed since then, and the team is overcoming that challenge. A match is 90 minutes, so whether you score in the first minute or at the end, the most important thing is to get three points. We are in a situation where we have to get them. The opponent has players with good height, speed, and skill. They have players with various characteristics. They are always playing attacking football aiming for the opponent's goal, so I think it will be a very interesting, open match. I think it will be a match with various highlights for the spectators.
We can't afford the luxury of prioritizing either the league or the ACL. We respect both as important tournaments. However, to compete in both tournaments, we need sufficient squad depth. That is a challenge for the team. Currently, we have nearly 30 players, but 4 of them are goalkeepers, and 4 or 5 are new players, who have just become professionals. It takes time to recognize the responsibility and importance of fighting as professionals and winning matches. So, if one or two players get injured, it becomes a very difficult task. We have to manage with the remaining players. The J.League alone might be manageable, but in an Asian tournament, we have to play against teams from various countries with different characteristics, so there are parts where it becomes a difficult situation. However, we want to do our best with the current members. We are not thinking about which to prioritize.
Ueda:
As the coach said, the opponent has height and strength, so I want to be careful about that. However, that is also my strength, so I want to enjoy it and play firmly so that the opponent can't do what they want.
From Western Sydney Wanderers, coach Tony Popovic and player Nikolai Topor-Stanley attended.
Coach Popovic:
I'm not worried about the injury situation at all. According to the medical staff, all players are fit to play. I'm not surprised at all that Kashima is in good form. They are a historic team with a lot of scoring power. When we played them in Japan, we were able to prevent many of their chances. We were able to minimize their power. Tomorrow will be a tough match, but we will try to suppress their power and get points. We won the previous match, but it was tough. Injured players will return, but the core members will be the same. If injured players return and we can play a match like the first match against FC Seoul, we should be able to get three points. We watched the match between Antlers and Guangzhou Evergrande. We know they have the power to score goals in the final minutes. We want to be careful until the end. The players have experience playing in this kind of weather last year and are used to it. They are staying at the hotel with the medical staff and managing their physical condition well. We will do our best to get three points. We will fight with the pride of being champions. Our home matches against Guangzhou Evergrande and FC Seoul were winnable. We respect the opponent, and I think the opponent respects us as Asian champions. It's a very tough group, but I'm confident that we can get through it and become champions again. The weather is bad like this now, but I hope the match won't be cancelled. I hope we can play on a good pitch and have a match that entertains the supporters.
Topor-Stanley:
I'm in perfect condition. I rested in the previous match, so I think I can show a good performance tomorrow.
The match kicks off tomorrow at 6:30 PM Japan time!