Melbourne Victory’s extended stay in South Korea will give it the best chance of defeating Jeonbuk Motors in the AFC Champions League according to defender Jason Geria.
With no domestic duties to juggle, Victory arrived in Korea on Saturday evening and will have completed two full training sessions before Tuesday’s Round of 16 second leg match.
It was the same schedule the team adopted before the Match Day 2 clash with Gamba Osaka, in which Victory secured a crucial point away from home.
“It definitely helps that we’ve come a few days earlier,” Geria said.
“Everyone’s reaping the benefits of that. We’ve had two good nights of sleep now, and we’re ready for the game.
“Everyone’s well rested and I think we’re prepared for it.”
Victory is covering all bases in its planning for the K-League champions, with the visitors knowing they must at least score a goal to keep the tie alive.
“Defensively, they’re very well organised. They sit off and they like to hit you on the counter-attack,” Geria said.
“Now that they’ve got that away goal, it could be what they want to do again.
“We’ve just got to persist. It’ll be about us first of all taking our chances, but also being patient in waiting for those chances to come.”
Geria said the being exposed to the AFC Champions League has been a continued learning experience for the players, who have encountered different styles of play and faced world-class opposition.
“It’s unpredictable if you face a team from Korea, China or Japan who you’re going to come up against,” he said.
“Teams tend to have, especially in the attacking third, individuals of a very high quality.
“For the team it’s good coming up against those types of players and having to adapt to those circumstances.
“Having been through it before, you learn from it and to learn how to adapt and change for different scenarios.
“I think we’re all very well experienced in this competition now.”
Victory’s game against Jeonbuk in South Korea will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 503 from 7.30pm AEST on Tuesday.
