Group G's Gamba Osaka face Suwon Samsung Bluewings FC on Tuesday 19 in the AFC Champions League 2016 to hang on to the last glimmer of hope for advancing to the knockout stage. At the official press conference taking place at the stadium day before the contest, coaches and players from both teams expressed their aspirations for the showcase on the following day.

Coach and Players' Comments

HASEGAWA Kenta, Coach (Gamba Osaka) 
What we need is only winning. We will go all out to get a win at home. I believe in my players for it. Last year, we won in a situation where our back was against the wall so that we kept believing in our chances and opened our way through.

I know, if Melbourne Victory win the match tomorrow, our hope to the knockout stage goes away. But many fans expect a win at the new stadium. And we haven't got an ACL win at the stadium, so we want to live up to their expectations.

(Comparing the present state of Suwon to the last matchup,) there is not much difference. Their core players haven't been replaced and I think there is no big difference from the last matchup. No.22 KWON Changhoon looks in good form and left flank's YEOM Ki Hun is a key player. Stopping them is going to be a big key to win the match.

USAMI Takashi (Gamba Osaka)
As long as there is a possibility, we give it everything we've got to battle it out and never give up. Being in a situation where there is a small possibility and our back is against the wall is very meaningful. And all we can do is keep fighting with high motivation. If we get results in that situation, the team would get a rhythm and if we keep up the rhythm, the team can be better.

Our defensive players play tenaciously, and the upfront players need to get goals to keep our defenders motivated. When the things work out by the two groups of players together, we can play the Gamba-style of dynamic and impactful football. I'm one of the players upfront, so I will play with the responsibility to get results so that the fans coming to the stadium can get motivated.

SEO Jung Won, Coach (Suwon Samsung Bluewings FC) 
We are in third place in the group, but we shouldn't give up the remaining two matches and must win them. We've made an enough preparation for that. In the last match against Gamba Osaka, we sent on six young players as it was the first match of the season after the camp. We couldn't win it, but I'm satisfied we played as we wanted. We brought a couple of players we couldn't register last time like injured veterans, so I'm expecting their good performance as well.

Gamba Osaka have got high-level players in both core players and others. They look off the pace recently, but I think that's because they missed some injured defencemen. They lost a balance by putting midfielders down, so I think they are struggling in the J.League. Even with those things, they are a strong team in first place. We need to get well ready not letting our guard down.

(Now Japan is suffering earthquakes. Do your players get disturbed or worried?) I saw the earthquake news in Korea Republic and I am really sorry for the people in the disaster-hit area. Korean people and players are also worried. We already knew Japan has earthquakes. So we don't get scared at them and it never affects the match.

YANG Sang Min (Suwon Samsung Bluewings FC) 
We’ve been in a tough situation where we haven't won so far, but it doesn't mean there is no hope. As long as there is a hope, we will try to battle. We will win the Gamba match at any cost.

I want this win to improve our performance and to have good things carried over to K League matches. Our performance is not bad recently. Win or loss will be determined if we score a goal or not. In the tomorrow match, it's not who scores but all the eleven players will try to score a goal.

AFC Champions League 2016

27 January 2016 - 26 November 2016

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