Guangzhou Evergrande can win Club World Cup, says Conca
Departing Argentine believes they can match Bayern Munich & Co in intercontinental tournament in Morocco
Talismanic midfielder Dario Conca has insisted Marcello Lippi’s Guangzhou Evergrande have the confidence to win the Club World Cup as he aims to leave the team on a high.
The departing Argentine inspired Guangzhou to victory in Asia’s Champions League and he believes they can go one better at the intercontinental tournament in Morocco, which started on Wednesday.
The Asian and Chinese title-holders play Egypt’s Al-Ahly in Agadir on Saturday with the winner facing the daunting task of a semi-final against European powerhouses Bayern Munich.
To be honest, I didn’t expect to achieve so much with Guangzhou
“The Club World Cup will be a hard test for us,” said Conca, who is making his final appearance for Guangzhou before returning to Brazil’s Fluminense.
“We will meet the African champions [Al-Ahly] and if we make it through, awaiting us are the likes of Bayern Munich and [Brazil’s] Atletico Mineiro.
“It requires us to give more energy and passion.
“No one likes losing games. Neither do I. We are looking to become the world champions and we have the confidence needed to win it heading into the competition.”
Conca became one of the world’s best paid players when he joined Guangzhou in 2011, and he proved his worth by helping them break a 23-year Asian title drought for Chinese teams last month.