SIPG confident Hulk will play
Print Edition
SHANGHAI SIPG is sweating over the fitness of Hulk for today’s second leg of the AFC Champions League last-16 match against Jiangsu Suning after the Brazil striker suffered a finger fracture but coach Andre Villas-Boas is confident that the star player will be available.
SIPG’s top scorer Hulk picked up a hand injury in its Chinese Super League match against Beijing Guo’an on Saturday. His hand was seen wrapped in a bandage when the team arrived in Nanjing yesterday.
“Hulk had a small fracture in the game against Beijing,” said Villas-Boas. “The fractured part was fixed in Shanghai. He is ready for the game. We saw (from the scan result) that the bones are already connecting together, we are confident about the healing process. The protection was made under the requirement of FIFA regulations.”
The Brazilian contributed a goal and an assist in SIPG’s 2-1 first-leg victory in Shanghai last week. Asked whether Jiangsu’s away goal was a worry for SIPG, Villas-Boas expressed full confidence in his team.
“Don’t forget that we can also score tomorrow and cancel this advantage that Suning has. We believe in our strike force, which has scored more than 50 goals in the games up to now,” the Portuguese coach said.
“We are also the second best in defense in the league. Of course tomorrow will be a different game, but we will take advantage of our strength in both attack and defense.”
“We hope to keep the dream alive and advance to the last eight,” he added.
Jiangsu manager Choi Yong-soo, on the other hand, was looking for a change of fortune for his team, describing today’s match as the most important one of the season both for him and Jiangsu.
“I believe the players will give 120 percent of what they are capable to get the result we want,” said the South Korean.
“Tomorrow’s result will depend on which team does better in the details. SIPG boasts a powerful strike force and players with outstanding individual ability. For us, we have to first focus on defense and keep a clean sheet, and then show our strength in attack.”
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