Gwangju coach Lee Jung-hyo, preparing for another "ACLE miracle," said, "It's going to be an interesting game... either or the other."

Gwangju coach Lee Jung-hyo, preparing for another "ACLE miracle," said, "It's going to be an interesting game... either or the other."

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Gwangju FC coach Lee Jung-hyo is ready to write a miracle once again against Saudi Arabia's strongest Al Hilal.

Gwangju will have a quarterfinal match against AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) Al Hilal at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at 1 a.m. on Saturday (Korea time). Unlike the round of 16, the quarterfinals at ACLE will be a one-off match.

Gwangju has performed a miracle in ACLE this season. Gwangju, which had four wins, two draws and one loss and 14 points to advance to the round of 16 teams by ranking fourth in the East Division, lost 0-2 in the first round of 16 teams against Vissel Kobe, but came from behind to win 3-0 after a bloody battle in the second round.

The quarterfinal match is another obstacle. Al-Hilal maintains the second place (62 points) in the professional league in Saudi Arabia. There are also wide differences in the squads. Al-Hilal includes Kalidou Koulibaly, João Cancelo, Juven Neves, Malcolm, Aleksandro Mitrovic, and Sergei Milinkovic, who played in previous European leagues.

However, Lee expressed anticipation for the upcoming quarterfinal match against Al-Hilal. "I think it will be interesting," Lee said. I think it will be fun to see how courageously and confidently Gwangju players will challenge themselves," he said, expressing trust in the team.

"I think any team has weaknesses. It depends on the game and the situation, but I think we and Al Hilal also have weaknesses. In the end, I think the outcome will be determined by how to score a goal by digging into weaknesses. I think it's either one or the other," he added.

[Next is a press conference]

▲ How do you feel before the game

Coach Lee Jung-hyo: It will be interesting. It will be fun to see how courageously and confidently Gwangju players will challenge themselves. In Korea, many fans are looking forward to it, but they may or may not meet their expectations. However, it will be fun to be aggressive in Gwangju's own style and see how they will give the opponent a hard time. I think it is a game that I look forward to as a coach as well.

Hayes: I'm looking forward to tomorrow's game. I don't think the same game comes often tomorrow, and I think it's a big team with a lot of famous players. However, in that regard, I think we can play well because we are positive and have high expectations rather than pressure.

▲ Who is the player you need to watch out for the most from the opposing team, and when are you going to watch the game for 90 minutes?

Coach Lee Jung-hyo: There are many good players in Saudi Arabia, so we should be on the lookout. As all the famous players know, I paid more attention to how to block their players. While analyzing Al-Hilal, I came to think twice about why the Saudi national team is strong.

And I think every minute and every second is important when and what to do with the opponent for 90 minutes. I think the entire 90 minutes and 100 minutes until the extra time are precious to our players. And I will tell you how our players will play for 100 minutes on the field. 메이저사이트

▲ I heard that Al Hilal is not good enough to win, but did you talk about that psychological part?

Coach Lee Jung-hyo: That's a misunderstanding. I never said that. Al Hilal is a good club with a long history. He did not disparage the team, which had good results with nine ACL finals and four ACL championships. I said it was a team with a long history and I respect it, but I think there was a misunderstanding.