Match: Johor Darul Ta'zim v South China
Date: 20 September, Tuesday
Time: 8:45pm SGT/6:15pm IST/1:45pm BST
Venue: Tan Sri Dato' Hj Hassan Yunos Stadium
Competition: 2016 AFC Cup
TV Coverage: In Singapore, TV coverage of the clash between Johor Darul Ta'zim and South China will be on Fox Sports Singapore.
Overview
Johor Darul Ta'zim host South China in the 2016 AFC Cup quarter-final second leg at the
Tan Sri Dato' Hj Hassan Yunos Stadium on 20 September.
The defending champions dominated play for most of the time against the Hong Kong side in the first leg that ended in a 1-1 draw at the Mong Kok Stadium on 13 September. Johor looked like they would cruise home with a one-goal advantage until South China forward Nikola Komazec saved the blushes for the hosts with an equaliser in the stoppage time.
However, the visitors are likely to find it difficult against the Mario Gomez's side, who have been unbeaten at home in all competitions in 2016. The Malaysian giants have netted 21 times at a goal-scoring average of 5.25 per match in the ongoing tournament at the Larkin Stadium. Their biggest win came at this venue when they crushed Myanmar club Ayeyawady United 8-1 in the group stages.
Despite having the away-goal advantage, Gomez said Johor needed to be at their best to defeat their opponents on Tuesday.
"To get a draw in the first leg is good, but we are not in the semi-finals yet. For us, we cannot afford any big mistake tomorrow," Gomez was quoted as saying by AFC's official website.
"We won three (back-to-back) league titles there, so our mentality is to win. We must play the same way and adopt the same fortress mentality as we did in the first half in Hong Kong."
South China find themselves in a similar situation as they played out a 1-1 draw in the 2015 AFC Cup quarter-final first leg against the Malaysian side. However, Johor defeated the then hosts 3-1 in the second leg en route to the final.
On Tuesday, the visitors back line consisting of Leung Nok Hang, Agbo Wisdom Fofo, Chan Wai Ho and Bojan Malisic have to be on top of their game against Johor's in-form skipper Safiq Rahim and strikers Pereyra Diaz and Juan Martin Lucero. The South China defenders should take heart from the fact that they have only conceded four times in away matches when compared to Johor's tally of seven.
Coach Ricardo Rambo believes South China's away wins against India's Mohun Bagan in the group stages and Philippine's Ceres La Salle in their Round of 16 clash will help them emerge victorious on Tuesday.
"The experiences we gained playing away to get results in India and the Philippines helped us a lot. To draw 0-0 is not good enough, we have to find a way to score. The difference is JDT play at home and have a good advantage," Rambo said.
"We have to focus on getting our mentality right tomorrow, as we are in an exceptional position to do something at this stage."
TV Schedule
Hong Kong: Fox Sports
Malaysia: Fox Sports
Thailand: Fox Sports
Philippines: Fox Sports
Team news
Johor Darul Ta'zim
Possible XI: Mohd Izham Tarmizi; Mohd Aidil Zafuan, Marcos Antonio, Muhammad Fazly; Hariss Harun, Mohd Safiq, Kunanlan, Mohd Azammuddin; Mohd Amri, Pereyra Diaz, Juan Lucero
South China
Possible XI: Leung Hing Kit; Bojan Malisic, Chan Wai Ho, Agbo Wisdom Fofo, Leung Nok Hang; Leung Kwun Chung, Lo Kong Wai, Chan Siu Kwan, Mohamed Awal; Nikola Komazec, Chan Siu Ki
