Key defender Zhang Linpeng returns to boost Guangzhou for Asian finale
Fullback shrugs off ankle injury for second leg of AFC Champions League showdown
National team fullback Zhang Linpeng will give Guangzhou Evergrande a major boost for the second leg of the AFC Champions League final on Saturday by returning to the Chinese Super League champions' defence.
Zhang missed Guangzhou's 5-0 win over Wuhan Zall in the Super League last Sunday due to a persistent injury to his left ankle but the 24-year-old will be available to start for Marcello Lippi's side when they face FC Seoul in the second leg of the final at Tianhe Stadium.
Guangzhou stand just 90 minutes from making history by becoming the first Chinese club to win the AFC Champions League since the competition was inaugurated in 2002, with a low-scoring draw enough to crown them China's first Asian champions in 23 years.
FC Seoul are a good team ... we need to pay more attention and strike back
"It has been a long process for us to reach this stage," said Zhang of his club's progress to the final. "We have achieved this as a result of good teamwork and we will strive to do our best in the final.
"FC Seoul are a good team and we had problems in the first leg, especially in the second half as we were a bit loose in defence. We need to pay more attention in the second leg and strike back."
Zhang has missed just one game in this year's AFC Champions League, when he was suspended from the first leg of the meeting with Australia's Central Coast Mariners after he was sent off late in the 3-2 defeat against Japan's Urawa Reds, still Guangzhou's only defeat in this year's competition.
The defender is now in his third full season with Guangzhou and has steadily improved throughout his time on the club's books as Evergrande have gone on to dominate Chinese football.