We won't go looking for a draw, says Felipe Scolari as Guangzhou Evergrande close in on AFC Champions League final
Unbeaten coach of four-time Chinese Super League champions heads into second leg of semi-final with 2-1 advantage over Japan’s Gamba Osaka
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On the eve of Wednesday night's crucial AFC Champions League soccer semi-final second leg with Japan’s Gamba Osaka, coach Luiz Felipe Scolari joked he would accept the offer of a draw which would secure Guangzhou Evergrande’s return to the final of the continental competition.
At the moment that should be the minimum 2013 champions Guangzhou expect from every game with Scolari unbeaten as coach of the four-time Chinese Super League champions, who themselves have not lost in five months in any competition at home or on the continent.
We did not come to draw and we want to win. But if they offered a draw now, I would sign for it
But while Scolari’s side hold a 2-1 advantage heading into Wednesday's meeting at Expo ‘70 Commemorative Stadium in Osaka after winning last month’s first leg at home, 2008 AFC Champions League Gamba are one of the few clubs in Asia who can match Guangzhou’s heavyweight status on the continent, having landed the Japanese treble last year.
“We have not come here and prepared just for a draw,” said Scolari, who is looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow FIFA World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi after the Italian masterminded Guangzhou’s 2013 AFC Champions League triumph.
Both sides won at the weekend with Guangzhou edging closer to another Super League crown with a 2-0 win over Tianjin Teda, while Gamba beat Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1 at home in the J.League.
And by the time of kick-off, the pair will know the identity of their prospective final opponent with Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates having entertained Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in Dubai.
