Guoan, Bunyodkor battle to control group
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E-mail China.org.cn, April 2, 2013
Despite opting to rest a couple of his key players for their top-of-the-table clash against Bunyodkor in Group G of the AFC Champions League, Beijing Guoan coach Aleksandar Stanojevic is still confident that the Chinese club can get a good result on Tuesday.
The two teams lead the way in the group with four points each after Bunyokdor got a stoppage time equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Pohang Steelers and Beijing beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-1 in the last round of matches three weeks ago.
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Mali striker Freddie Kanoute will not play in Guoan's game against Bunyodkor. |
While former Pakhtakor defender Egor Krimets will provide Beijing with some inside knowledge about the Uzbek club, Stanojevic has opted not to bring captain Xu Yunlong and Mali international striker Freddie Kanoute for the long trip to Central Asia.
"We have prepared well for this game and I hope to show tomorrow how useful our preparations for the game have been although two of our main players did not come to Tashkent," he said.
"We have watched some of Bunyodkor's matches and we know that they are a strong team as they were semi-finalists last season and they have a bit of an advantage from playing at home. But I think that our chances for victory are good. We will play for three points and I think that I have found out some problems for the Bunyodkor team."
Bunyodkor coach Mirdjalal Kasimov is looking for an improved performance by his side after they needed a stoppage-time goal to draw 2-2 with Pohang in their last outing.
"Tomorrow's match is very important for us. Beijing play well and they are dangerous on the counterattack but we missed out on two points in our second match and I believe that if my players show their capabilities, we will get the victory in Tahskent," said the former Uzbekistan international captain, who is wary of fatigue affecting his players.
"We have one missing player – midfielder Oleg Zoteev – who has been injured and cannot play tomorrow. We started our season on March and some players already have physical problems."
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