Central Coast Mariners coach Graham Arnold has highlighted the threat of Zvjezdan Misimovic ahead of his side’s must-win clash against Guizhou Renhe on Wednesday night.
Central Coast Mariners coach Graham Arnold has highlighted the threat of Zvjezdan Misimovic ahead of his side’s must-win clash against Guizhou Renhe on Wednesday night.
As the bottom two sides in Group H of the AFC Champions League prepare to do battle in Gosford, Arnold is wary of the danger the Bosnia and Herzegovina international will pose.
Misimovic, 30, enjoyed a stellar spell at Wolfsburg – including creating a league-high 20 goals in the 2008/09 Bundesliga season – and joined the Chinese Super League club in January.
“We did a bit of video this morning. We probably focus 75 percent always on ourselves and 25 percent on the opposition,” Arnold said on Tuesday.
“He was the main focus in that. He’s definitely a quality player.
“(John Hutchinson) will have the responsibility of looking after him tomorrow night. It’s a wonderful challenge. A lot of players won’t get the opportunity to play international football for their country and this is the next best thing.”
Arnold said Misimovic’s combination with fellow Bosnian Zlatan Muslimovic would be something the Mariners need to keep an eye out for.
The Mariners rested several key men during their 2-1 win over Melbourne Heart on Saturday and Arnold said he had 19-20 players to choose from.
With two of their final group games away from home, Arnold said it was vital for the Mariners to collect all three points against Guizhou Renhe.
“I think we always put the emphasis on our home record, not just in the ACL, but also in the A-League,” he said.
“Our home record in the A-League stands at – this season – 13 games, 11 wins, one draw (and) one loss.
“It doesn’t matter what competition we’re playing in, it’s important that you win your home games, especially tomorrow night.
“We put in a great performance against Suwon (in a 0-0 draw) and we could’ve easily won that game. It’s important that we win the game tomorrow night.”
