In the afternoon, an official press conference was held at Kashima Stadium, attended by Head Coach Ishii and player Yamamoto.
Head Coach Masatada Ishii:
"First and foremost, we need to score goals. To win the match in 90 minutes, it's essential to win by a margin of at least two goals, so we've focused our training on attacking aspects. However, we also can't concede, so we've paid careful attention to defensive training. I want you to watch the game and see how we attack. If we lose possession poorly in attack, we risk a counter-attack, so we trained to avoid that. Ueda and Nishi are in excellent condition. I believe they will be strong assets to the team. As for the probability of winning, you won't know until we play. To advance, we want to start without conceding a goal. To win in 90 minutes, we focused on scoring at least two goals. I believe we've prepared well for that. A penalty shootout is certainly a possibility. We've prepared for all scenarios."
Player Shuto Yamamoto:
"As a fullback, I always have defense in mind when I play. Since we lost 0-1 away, we need to score two goals to win, and to score those two goals, not just me but the entire team needs to heighten our attacking awareness and fight. However, just like in the away match, if we lose possession poorly, we risk counter-attacks, so we need to end with a shot to reduce that risk. Even if we lose the ball and the situation becomes difficult, we need to cover for each other with the players behind us, and play with risk management in both attack and defense. I believe it will be a match we can't win otherwise."
The attendees from Guangzhou Evergrande were Head Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and captain Zheng Zhi, just like in the first leg.
Head Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari:
"Everything is going smoothly as planned. There's a flu going around in Guangzhou, so a few players have a slight cold, but the staff is doing their best to help them recover quickly. In any case, we've prepared very well, and I think it will be a great match. If I look tired, it's because I have an ugly face to begin with. Regarding the opposing coach saying 2-0 or 3-0, I think that's only natural."
Player Zheng Zhi:
"We've prepared very well. As the coach said, a few players have a slight cold. But we can field a starting eleven. There's a difference in climate between China and Japan, which is affecting some players' health, but we've prepared thoroughly. (After the first leg) the first 90 minutes are over, and now the second 90 minutes begin. Having played once, I think we both know each other's strengths well, and it will be a tougher match than the first leg. I hope we can achieve victory in that."
After the press conference, Guangzhou Evergrande held an official practice at Kashima Stadium. Only the first 15 minutes were open to the media.
