The public practice included passing drills and ball possession exercises.
In the afternoon, an official press conference was held at Kashima Stadium, attended by Manager Oiwa and player Inukai.
Manager Go Oiwa:
"As the first leg of the quarterfinals is our home match, I want us to win the first 90 minutes decisively. We aim to win without conceding any goals. We want to approach the match with the feeling of fighting together with our supporters."
Player Tomoya Inukai:
"This will be a very important match to win the ACL title. It's a home game, so we must win. That's all there is to it."
From Tianjin Quanjian, Manager Paulo Sousa and player Pato, who also played for AC Milan, were in attendance.
Manager Paulo Sousa:
"I'm delighted to be at the AFC Champions League quarterfinals stage. This is the club's first appearance in history, and we've fought well. We've played in a way that deserves to be here. Although we finished second in the group stage, we had the most points among the second-place teams and scored the most goals. We've overcome great difficulties to get this far. We arrived in Kashima about 27 hours later than scheduled. Antlers is a team with a lot of tradition and experience in international competitions. They have already defeated two Chinese teams in this season's ACL. Last year, they also had a good fight with Guangzhou Evergrande. In the 2016 Club World Cup, they played a good game against Real Madrid. I think they are a team with high quality and experience. I'm honored to be able to play against them."
Player Pato:
"The journey to Kashima was very tough. I'm very tired, but I want to play a good game tomorrow. I've heard information about Antlers from a friend who plays for Gamba Osaka. I believe our supporters will be a great strength for us in both the first and second legs."
After the official press conference, Tianjin Quanjian held an official practice at Kashima Stadium.
