A defiant Gamba Osaka coach insisted his team are not afraid of Manchester United, but the Japanese side face a daunting task against the European champions in their Club World Cup semi-final today.
It will be one of the biggest games in Gamba’s history, but they are handicapped by injuries to attacking midfielders Takahiro Futagawa and Hayato Sasaki, who were stretchered off during their win over Adelaide on Sunday.
A consolation is that United are also struggling, with Dimitar Berbatov sick with a virus and ruled out of the game, while Wayne Rooney is a doubt after picking up an injury in training.
Gamba captain Satoshi Yamaguchi believes they have what it takes to tame the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney, should he play.
“We have nothing to lose and we’ll go all out, leave everything out there on the pitch,” he said.
“We don’t want to be thinking after the match that we should have done this and that, and as long as we’re playing them, we’ll play to win. But we need to make sure we don’t play like we did against Adelaide,” Yamaguchi said.
In that game, the Asian champions were lucky to survive, with the influential Yasuhito Endo scoring the only goal.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson watched the match on DVD and pinpointed Endo as the danger man, along with their Brazilian striker Lucas.
“He is their star player,” the Scot said of Endo. “Not only did he score the decisive goal, he was the influential player in terms of possession of the ball.”
“He actually changed his position from where he normally plays behind the center forward after they lost two players in the first 18 minutes and played towards the left-hand side. And it worked very well,” Ferguson said.
“Their Brazilian center forward [Lucas] is also a very good player. He has quick feet and, unusually for a Brazilian, he is tall. He is a very effective player,” he said.
Ferguson, who has defended United’s decision to make the long trip to Japan in mid-season, would not be drawn on his starting 11.
But he said veterans Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs would all play.
“They have played a lot of big games and their experience will be vital,” he said, adding that Ronaldo was also a definite starter.
Despite United’s superior skills, physical strength and experience, Gamba coach Akira Nishino suggested an upset was not just a dream.
Admitting his side’s chances of creating an upset are “close to nil,” Nishino said: “We will face them without fear.”
“Tomorrow will be a great day for Gamba. We are ready to give 100 percent for the challenge tomorrow,” he said.
Meanwhile Claudio Bieler and Luis Bolanos scored first-half goals in Tokyo yesterday to give Ecuador’s Liga de Quito to a 2-0 win over Mexico’s Pachuca to earn their place in the final where they will face Gamba or United.
The Ecuadoreans wasted little time in taking the lead when Bieler capitalized on a defensive miscue to put his team on the scoresheet after just four minutes.
Bieler picked up a poor clearance attempt by a Pachuca defender and calmly slid the ball under the outstretched arm of Pachuca goalkeeper Miguel Calero.
Liga doubled the lead midway through the first half after Pachuca defender Julio Manzur was booked for a handball on the edge of the box and Luis Bolanos curled a right-footed free kick over the wall.
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
RSS