Ahead of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) quarterfinal, Gwangju FC head coach Lee Jung-hyo is committed to maintaining the team's style.
Gwangju will face Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal in the ACLE quarterfinal on the 26th at 1:30 a.m. (Korean time) at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Head coach Lee Jung-hyo noted during an official press conference held on the 24th at the auxiliary pitch of King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, "It seems like it will be interesting. It will be fun to see how brave and confidently our players will challenge themselves," adding, "There will be excitement in how Gwangju will play aggressively and how we can make it difficult for the opponent."
He continued, "There are many good players among the Saudi domestic players, so we need to be cautious. Since we are already familiar with the famous players, I paid more attention to how to block the domestic players. Also, while analyzing Al Hilal to understand why the Saudi national team is strong, it made me think once again."
Regarding the controversial remark that "Al Hilal is insufficient to win," he stated, "I never said such a thing. Al Hilal is a strong team that has reached the finals of the ACL nine times and won four times. It's a team with a deep history, and I've mentioned that I respect them, but there seems to have been a misunderstanding."
On the other hand, Al Hilal's coach pointed out that Gwangju has "weak defense." In response, Lee Jung-hyo said, "I believe every team has its weaknesses. It varies depending on the game and the situation, but both we and Al Hilal have weaknesses." He added, "In the end, what matters is how to exploit those weaknesses to score goals. We will attack the opponent’s weaknesses with what we do best."
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