AFC Champions League: HAGL keep Sydney FC coach alert

Sydney were the runner-up of Australia’s championship A-League last year. In the first fixture of group H on Saturday, they drew 1-1 against South Korean champions Jeonbuk, while HAGL lost 0-1 to Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos. Corica was on the stand to watch the game between HAGL and Yokohama.

"HAGL lost but they had a good game. If they were luckier, they could have shared points with Yokohama. HAGL have six national players in their squad, including Nguyen Van Toan and Nguyen Cong Phuong, whom I’m really impressed with. They are quality players with international experience. We have to keep our eyes on these two," Corica said.

Corica said HAGL would continue to be unpredictable, especially as the host and with home support.

Sydney only brought 26 players for the group H matches of ACL and with the tight schedule of playing a game every three days, Corica has to carefully distribute his players for each game.

"We have to rotate our squad in each game to achieve our target. The opponents in ACL are really strong, including HAGL. Therefore, to get three points out of the host, we have to defend well, keep possession and attack effectively, plus a bit of luck," he said.

HAGL will play Sydney on HCMC's Thong Nhat Stadium on Tuesday then Jeonbuk on Friday. This is HAGL’s return to the ACL after 17 years. This year they will host all group H matches.