FC Seoul say they have “no fear” of taking on Western Sydney Wanderers FC side beefed-up by the return of three key players on Wednesday night.
In what is shaping as a classic ACL semi-final second leg at Parramatta Stadium, the Koreans head to town hoping to spoil the home side’s party and progress to their second straight final in the competition.
But they will have to content with the likes of Socceroos striker Tomi Juric, Brendon Santalab and Shannon Cole after the trio missed the first leg through suspension.
“They are important players coming back tomorrow but there is no fear for us,” Seoul coach Choi Yong Soo said on Tuesday.
“What’s more important from FC Seoul’s side is we couldn’t show much in the first game so tomorrow (Wednesday) night we really want to enjoy ourselves and show lots of different things.
“Wanderers actually play more as a team rather than a couple of important players. We have lots of tactics for them and we are prepared.”
Seoul skipper Kim Jin Kyu added: “I have heard about (Juric, Santalab and Cole) and we have been watching lots of videos and analyzing lots of different things.
“At same time we know they are really good players but we are one of the best defending teams in the K-League and we trust our strikers to score and we want to work hard to make a difference.”
While Seoul are one of the biggest clubs in Asia and have had huge success in their domestic league, the Wanderers are only two years into existence.
And Choi admits he is surprised by just how far the Hyundai A-League club has come in just a short space of time.
“All fans love to see the smaller teams beat big teams,” the Seoul boss said.
“In a short time the Western Sydney Wanderers have built up their team really well. Those teams normally have no fear and that’s the only insecurity for me.
“It’s really good to see they have built up their team chemistry very well.”
Choi confirmed Spanish utility Osmar Barba, who missed the first leg through injury, was fit to return and would play an important role on Wednesday night.
Following a scoreless draw in the first leg in Korea, FC Seoul only need a score-draw to progress to the final.
