Adelaide United coach John Kosmina is confident his side can continue their march towards AFC Champions League glory by beating round-of-16 opponents Nagoya Grampus at Hindmarsh Stadium on May 29.
Adelaide United coach John Kosmina is confident his side can continue their march towards AFC Champions League glory by beating round-of-16 opponents Nagoya Grampus at Hindmarsh Stadium on May 29.
The Reds claimed top spot in Group E and home-ground advantage for the game with a 2-0 away victory over Japanese rivals Gamba Osaka.
Having reached the knockout stage for the third time, Kosmina was adamant his side could continue their extended run in the Asian tournament.
“We have cautious confidence heading into the next round – we are quietly confident,” Kosmina said.
“We have knocked off two previous champions to get where we are at the moment and in terms of Adelaide’s name in Asia that’s a massive achievement.
“I think we’ve done enough now, away from home in particular, to give everyone the confidence to think we should get into quarter-finals and that we should be able to get something out of this competition and go further.
“But Nagoya are a very good side and they demolished Central Coast (3-0) the other night, so it’s going to be a tough game.
“If we can manage to get past Nagoya, then even that is a phenomenal achievement.
“The important thing though is that we got the win to give us home-ground advantage.”
After a dismal domestic campaign that saw Adelaide dispense with former coach Rini Coolen after just 11 games before finishing ninth – their second-worst finish in history – Kosmina applauded his charges for the fight shown so late in the season.
The 55-year-old said it was a testament to the players for maintaining their work ethic and will to salvage something from an otherwise dreadful season.
“The fact these guys have knuckled down and really worked at getting something out of this (ACL) and retrieving the season says a lot about their character,” Kosmina said.
The coach said he was wary of Nagoya, however, who have Qantas Socceroo Josh Kennedy at their disposal.
“One of the big determining factors for that game is whether Josh Kennedy actually plays or not, Kosmina said.
“If Josh plays it may change the way we go about our business because he is a good target man.”
