Becamex Binh Duong and Jiangsu Suning players seen during their first leg match in the AFC Champions League’s Group E in February in Binh Duong province (Photo: baobinhduong.vn)Hanoi (VNA) - Becamex Binh Duong will receive a big bonus in cash if they qualify for the next round of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League.
Becamex Binh Duong will play Chinese Jiangsu Suning in the Group E on April 20 and hope to bring at least one point home.
“If we cannot draw with Jiangsu we have no chance of continuing in the Champions League. We travel to China targeting at least one point before thinking about our next plan,” Le Hong Cuong, General Director of Binh Duong Sports and Football Jointstock Company, that manages the Vietnam’s V. League defending champions, said.
After four rounds, Becamex Binh Duong are at the bottom of the group with four points. A defeat for the Vietnamese champions against Jiangsu Suning, meanwhile, would see coach Nguyen Thanh Son’s side eliminated from the competition.
However, they still have a chance because their gap with the two leading teams, FC Tokyo and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, is only three and two points, respectively. Jiangsu Suning are one step higher than Becamex Binh Duong on five points.
All teams have two matches left in this group round.
Cuong said his players were in a good mood after their two wins in the V. League over the previous weekends.
They were also in perfect shape after some intensive practice in nearly a month in March when the league was off for the national team.
Cuong and his team also have a reason to believe in a positive result as they defeated K. League champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 3-2 in the previous round match.
Cuong said a bonus of 1 billion VND (45,000 USD) was up for grabs if the squad could advance to the next round of the tournament.
The Chinese powerhouse which shopped a lot ahead of the season are at their peak performance showing their strength as the leader of the local league after five rounds.
Their only question is the integration of the highly-paid players including Asia’s most expensive striker Alex Teixeira with the rest of the team.
Teixeira who came to Jiangsu under a contract of 55 million USD just has three goals after nine games in all competitions.
His scoring productivity is less than Becamex Binh Duong’s Nguyen Anh Duc who netted four times in the Champions League only.
History stands on Jiangsu’s side as Becamex Binh Duong lost all their matches when they played on away grounds in the two latest seasons.
In their first leg match on February 23 the hosts drew with Jiangsu Suning 1-1 in Binh Duong Province.
In another match of the group, coach Hiroshi Jofuku’s FC Tokyo need only to beat Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to ensure a second Round of 16 appearance. A win for the J. League side and a draw between Jiangsu Suning and Becamex Binh Duong would also see the play-off qualifiers top the group.-VNA
