Asian Champions League
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Played
May 30, 2012 1:00 PM BST
Tianhe Stadium — Guangzhou (Canton)
Referee:‬ Abdullah Al Bloushi‎
Attendance:‬ 39560‎
 
31′ Cleo
 

Guangzhou Evergrande - FC Tokyo Preview: First Asian Champions League encounter for Lippi awaits

The two attack-oriented squads will vie for a spot in the ACL quarter-finals in what is expected to be yet another tense encounter between Chinese and Japanese clubs

By Dan Orlowitz

More On :  F.C. Tokyo, Guangzhou Evergrande, Guangzhou Evergrande vs F.C. Tokyo
CSL - Guangzhou Evergrande vs. Qingdao
Other
  PROBABLE LINE-UPS
GUANGZHOU EVERGRANDE

Yang Jun
Zhang Linpeng, Feng Xiaoting, Zheng Zhi, Sun Xiang
Cho Won-Hee, Zhao Xuri, Qin Sheng
Gao Lin, Cleo, Conca
FC TOKYO
Gonda
Chang,Tokunaga,Morishige,Mukuhara
Takahashi,Hasegawa
Ishikawa, Kajiyama, Lucas
Watanabe

Newly-installed Guangzhou Evergrande manager Marcello Lippi will have a challenging match on his hands when his side hosts ACL debutants FC Tokyo on Wednesday night. Guangzhou Tianhe is expected to be packed with supporters dressed in the club's traditional red for the encounter, but ironically this may put the team under more pressure; Evergrande lost two group stage matches at home. Defensive concentration will also be key for the hosts as centre-back Zheng Zhi has made his share of howlers in the last two matches.

Meanwhile, Ranko Popovic has the tough task of guiding his Tokyo squad to the quarter-finals in their first ACL appearance. The capital city club have flourished under his leadership, going unbeaten in the last four league matches. The high-flying Evergrande attack will provide one of the biggest challenges yet for Tokyo in the competition, and Popovic has experimented in recent matches with a reshuffling of his back line.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • Guangzhou Evergrande are the last remaining Chinese Super League (CSL) club in the competition
  • The reigning CSL champions replaced former manager Lee Jan-Soo with Lippi despite finishing first in the group stage and leading the league.

  • Dortmund star Lucas Barrios will join Evergrande later this summer.
  • FC Tokyo's league form (sixth place after 12 matches played with one game in hand) is the best of the J-League's four ACL entrants.
  • The club spent last season in the second division, but earned an ACL berth after winning the 2011 Emperor's Cup on New Year's Day.
  • Shuichi Gonda and Hideto Takahashi (pictured right) both received call-ups for Japan's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Oman, Jordan, and Australia.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Guangzhou Evergrande 1-2 F.C. Tokyo
    14.11 %
  • Guangzhou Evergrande 0-2 F.C. Tokyo
    10.43 %
  • Guangzhou Evergrande 0-1 F.C. Tokyo
    9.82 %
Head to Head
Asian Champions League ‎(ACL)‎ May 30, 2012 Guangzhou Evergrande 1 - F.C. Tokyo 0
  • Player Ratings
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Last Five Matches
Guangzhou Evergrande
May 22, 2013Guangzhou Evergrande 3 - Central Coast Mariners 0ACL
May 15, 2013Central Coast Mariners 1 - Guangzhou Evergrande 2ACL
May 1, 2013Guangzhou Evergrande 0 - Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 0ACL
Apr 24, 2013Urawa Red Diamonds 3 - Guangzhou Evergrande 2ACL
Apr 9, 2013SCG Muang Thong United 1 - Guangzhou Evergrande 4ACL
F.C. Tokyo
May 18, 2013F.C. Tokyo 2 - Shimizu S-Pulse 0JPN1
May 11, 2013Shonan Bellmare 3 - F.C. Tokyo 2JPN1
May 6, 2013F.C. Tokyo 2 - Jubilo Iwata 2JPN1
May 3, 2013Sagan Tosu 2 - F.C. Tokyo 3JPN1
Apr 27, 2013F.C. Tokyo 2 - Kawasaki Frontale 0JPN1
Odds
Returns: Guangzhou Evergrande £18.50 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Returns: Draw £85.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: F.C. Tokyo £510.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Team News
Available Squads
1Jun YangGoalkeeper
5Zhang LinpengDefender
6Xiaoting FengDefender
32Xiang SunDefender
10Zhi ZhengMidfielder
15Darío ConcaMidfielder
4Won-Hee ChoMidfielder
37Xuri ZhaoMidfielder
11CleoStriker
11MuriquiStriker
21Ning JiangStriker
22Li ShuaiGoalkeeper
-Jianhua LiDefender
-Zhang HongnanDefender
-Feng JunyangMidfielder
26Pingfeng WuMidfielder
8Li YanMidfielder
29Gao LinStriker
20Shuichi GondaGoalkeeper
2Yuhei TokunagaDefender
3Masato MorishigeDefender
33Kenta MukuharaDefender
4Hideto TakahashiDefender
7Takuji YonemotoMidfielder
8Ariajasuru HasegawaMidfielder
-Yohei KajiyamaMidfielder
18Naohiro IshikawaMidfielder
9Kazuma WatanabeStriker
49LucasStriker
1Hitoshi ShiotaGoalkeeper
5Kenichi KagaDefender
14Hokuto NakamuraDefender
30Hyun-Soo JangDefender
17Hiroki KawanoMidfielder
-Tatsuya YazawaMidfielder
23Yohei HayashiStriker
Players to Watch
Zhang Linpeng
Zhang Linpeng
Position: Defender
Squad Number: 5
Games Goals YC RC
7 0 1 1
The 23-year-old defender earned praise from his new manager this week when Lippi favorably compared him to Sergio Ramos. Capable of patrolling the perimeter or controlling the centre, Linpeng is also an attacking threat and must be treated with caution.
Kazuma Watanabe
Kazuma Watanabe
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 9
Games Goals YC RC
0 0 0 0
Watanabe has mostly been used as a super-sub this season but earned a starting role on Saturday after his Round 12 hat-trick against Sagan Tosu. The former Marinos man could be the needed spark for a Tokyo that that sometimes has trouble finding creativity in front of the goal.
Prediction
Evergrande have the star coach and the high-priced roster; Tokyo have dedication to their manager's system and players who aren't afraid to hold their ground in a hostile environment. If there's one ACL match capable of going into extra time it's this one; after that it's anyone's game to win.
Editor's Prediction
Guangzhou Evergrande 2
F.C. Tokyo 2
Results
Group A Matchday 1
Times In GMT
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Muriqui Muriqui
Striker
Guangzhou Evergrande 		8 0
Wagner Ribeiro Wagner Ribeiro
Midfielder
Al Jaish 		7 0
Masato Kudo Masato Kudo
Striker
Reysol 		5 0
Djibril Cissé Djibril Cissé
Striker
Al Gharafa 		4 1
Sebastián Soria Sebastián Soria
Striker
Lekhwiya 		4 0