Marcello Lippi upbeat despite Guangzhou losing 4-2 to Al Ittihad
Evergrande coach insists a fully fit squad will be able to defeat Al Ittihad and reach the last four
Guangzhou coach Marcello Lippi insists the big-spending club's AFC Champions League dream is not over despite a two-goal deficit from the first leg of their quarter-final.
Even for a club of apparently limitless resources, the demands of a punishing schedule are beginning to take their toll on Guangzhou Evergrande and their pursuit of continental glory.
With 90 minutes left against two-time former winners Al Ittihad, of Saudi Arabia, Lippi's team will be forced to overcome a 4-2 deficit if they are to be the first Chinese side to reach the last four of the competition since 2005.
Despite twice silencing the intimate surrounds of the Prince Abdullah bin Faisal Stadium with goals from Gao Lin and Huang Bowen, a double salvo of headed goals from Saudi international striker Naif Hazazi gave Al Ittihad the win and has left Guangzhou with a mountain to climb in the second leg at Tianhe Stadium on October 2.
"There are times during the year when you are lucky and times when you are unlucky and unfortunately we have had many players who are injured," said Lippi. "But if we have our full squad available then we have a good chance to win.
"We lost Muriqui due to injury and some of our players were only at 50 per cent and hadn't fully recovered and also we had some errors which weren't supposed to happen and that's why we lost.
