18:00 February 24, B.Binh Duong - Shandong Luneng

General Director of Binh Duong Sports - Football Joint Stock Company Cao Van Chong said: "B.Binh Duong knows where we stand in the continental arena. We are not dreaming but the whole team will compete with the utmost determination."

Compared to many other clubs in the V-League that have 2-3 weeks of rest, the reigning V-League champions only have 7 days off. Technical Director Le Thuy Hai and his team will gather on the 3rd day of Tet and practice again on the 4th day of Tet to prepare to welcome their opponent Shandong Luneng (China) at 6:00 p.m. on February 24 (the 6th day of Tet).

Mr. Chong said: “On the first day of practice, the club leaders came to give lucky money to the whole team for good luck in the new year. The team spirit is very excited to prepare to welcome the opponent from China.”

Regarding the injury situation of the players, General Director Cao Van Chong affirmed that B.Binh Duong currently has a nearly intact squad. Xuan Thanh's injury before Tet has now recovered and he can regroup with his teammates.

Becamex Binh Duong's coaching staff and players affirmed that they will play to their best.

Mr. Hai may not use Xuan Thanh right away in the opening match of the AFC Champions League because there are many players who can take over the position of Xuan Thanh, such as Robert. Tan Tai and Dinh Luat have played but may still be on the sidelines.

B.Binh Duong is allowed to use all 3 foreign players in the most prestigious arena in the continent including Moses, Abass, Oseni. In addition, the 2014 V-League champion has just signed a contract with Asian-origin center-back David Vrankovic to upgrade the quality of the team.

David Vrankovic plays as a center back and is an Australian U23 player, but Mr. Hai may not use him in the match against Shandong Luneng. The center back pair of B.Binh Duong in this match could be Phuoc Tu and Michal Nguyen or Xuan Luan.

Witnessing the latest heavy defeat of Hanoi T&T 0-7 on Seoul FC field not long ago, Mr. Chong said that it was normal and that it was a lesson for B.Binh Duong. “We were not dreaming and knew where we were when we decided to participate in the AFC Champions League. We even calculated this from the end of the 2014 season.

Competing with top Asian clubs and in harsh weather is not easy, but this is an opportunity for the Vietnamese club to test itself on a big stage. The players are also aware of what they must do to not lose the image of the club and themselves.

B.Binh Duong's current squad is generally stable and the V.League schedule will not be played again until April, while B.Binh Duong plays the AFC Champions League group stage in February and March, so it will not affect them much. B.Binh Duong still considers the goal in V-League important."

As for the opponent Shandong Luneng, the team was founded in 1988 and has a very impressive record in Chinese football. They have won the National Cup 5 times and the National Super Cup 4 times. 2 weeks ago, the team of coach Cuca (who led Atlético Mineiro and Cruzeiro in the Brazilian National Championship) defeated the C-League champion Guangzhou Evergrande 5-3 of coach Fabio Cannavaro on penalties (2 regular periods ended 0-0 in the 2014 National Super Cup match).

Shandong Luneng arrived at B.Binh Duong with 21 players. Their squad includes many national players who just participated in the 2014 ASIAN Cup such as Wang Qiang, Zheng Zheng, Wang Yongpo, Liu Binbin, Han Peng…

After the departure of the famous Brazilian striker Vagner Love (scored 5 goals, ranked 3rd in the list of top scorers of AFC Champions League 2014), the Chinese team immediately added another Brazilian striker, Diego Tardelli. In addition, 2 foreign players of Shandong Luneng are Júnior Urso (Brazil) and 1 Argentine player Walter Montillo.

In addition to Shandong Luneng Taishan, B.Binh Duong is also in the same group with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (Korea) and Kashima Reysol, the Japanese team that defeated Chonburi Club (Thailand) 3-2 in the play-off round.

At the AFC Champions League 2015, to serve fans entering the stadium and according to the request from AFC, Binh Duong Stadium's Organizing Committee did not sell tickets but only printed invitation tickets to give to fans who wanted to come watch.

According to TTVH