Head Coach, Guillermo Amor, and defender, Michael Marrone, are confident Adelaide United can attain a positive result ahead of their second Group H game against Jiangsu Suning on Wednesday night.
The Reds will be looking to recover from two consecutive defeats in all competitions to secure their first points in the group at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre.
Wednesday night’s encounter with Jiangsu will be the first meeting between the two sides, and the Chinese outfit’s inaugural clash versus an Australian club.
Amor is expecting a tough match and insisted the Reds will do everything they can to grab an away victory.
“We’re preparing for the game as a normal week,” Amor said
“We know that it’s an important game for us in this moment because the Champions League is very important.
“It’s the second game after losing the first (against Gamba Osaka) and we’re here to win the game.
“We know it’s difficult against these teams, but we’re confident we can achieve a good result.”
One positive omen in United’s favour is they remain undefeated in their previous three visits to China.
The Spanish tactician praised the quality of Jiangsu, after the Nanjing-based team’s recent expenditure on several high-profile signings.
However, Amor stressed the South Australians are more than capable of competing with the Chinese side.
“I think every game in this competition is not easy,” Amor continued.
“It’s true that to play here we know the power of Jiangsu, they’ve good players, a good team, with good foreign players.
“It’s a team that invests money in this (area)… But we think we can play a good game and to compete well.”
Jiangsu won their opening group stage match 1-0 away to Korean team Jeju United, thanks to a 90th minute goal from former Chelsea midfielder Ramires.
Meanwhile, Reds defender, Marrone said the squad have prepared and trained sufficiently in the Jiangsu province and are excited about the clash.
“We’re here and want to get a result,” Marrone said.
“We’ve had a pretty good preparation leading into it (the game).
“We’re ready and we expect a strong side against Jiangsu and we want to get a good result, to hold us in good stead for the league.”
Despite a winless start to the tournament, Marrone said there was no cause for concern, revealing morale within the dressing room was upbeat.
“We’ve only had one game so far (in the ACL),” Marrone said.
“There’s six games, there’s still plenty of time to get good results.
“I think using the old cliché we do just have to take it one game at a time.
“The confidence within the playing group is really good and we’re definitely ready and prepared for this game.”
Adelaide United will face Jiangsu Suning in their second AFC Champions League 2017 group stage match on Wednesday, 1 March at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre. Kick-off is at 10.05pm ACDT. Coverage on Fox Sports commences at 9:55pm ACDT.
