6:00 PM on February 24th, Binh Duong - Shandong Luneng

According to Cao Van Chong, General Director of Binh Duong Sports and Football Joint Stock Company: “Binh Duong knows where we stand in the continental arena. We are not dreaming, but the whole team will play with the utmost determination.”

Compared to many other V-League clubs that have 2-3 weeks of rest, the reigning V-League champions only had 7 days off. Coach Le Thuy Hai and his team reunited on the 3rd day of Tet (Lunar New Year) and resumed training on the 4th day of Tet to prepare for the match against Shandong Luneng (China) at 6:00 PM on February 24th (the 6th day of Tet).

Mr. Chong said: “On the very first day of training, the club's leaders came to give the whole team lucky money for the new year. The team's spirits were very high as they prepared to welcome their opponents from China.”

Regarding the players' injury situation, General Director Cao Van Chong affirmed that B.Binh Duong currently has a virtually intact squad. Xuan Thanh's injury, sustained before the Lunar New Year, has now recovered and he can rejoin his teammates for training.

The coaching staff and players of Becamex Binh Duong affirmed that they would play to the best of their ability.

Coach Hai may not use Xuan Thanh immediately in the opening match of the AFC Champions League because there are many players who can fill Xuan Thanh's position, such as Robert. Tan Tai and Dinh Luat have played but may still be sidelined.

Binh Duong FC is allowed to use all three foreign players in the most prestigious continental competition: Moses, Abass, and Oseni. In addition, the 2014 V-League champions have recently signed another contract with Asian-born center-back David Vrankovic to further improve their squad.

David Vrankovic plays as a central defender and is an Australian U23 international, but Coach Hai may not be in a hurry to use him in the match against Shandong Luneng. The central defensive pairing for B.Binh Duong in this match could be Phuoc Tu and Michal Nguyen or Xuan Luan.

Witnessing Hanoi T&T's recent crushing 0-7 defeat at Seoul FC's stadium, Mr. Chong believes it's normal and a lesson for Binh Duong. "We weren't dreaming and knew where we stood when we decided to participate in the AFC Champions League. In fact, we had already considered this since the end of the 2014 season."

Playing against top Asian clubs in harsh weather conditions is no easy feat, but it's an opportunity for Vietnamese clubs to test themselves on a big stage. The players are also aware of what they need to do to maintain the club's and their own image.

"Binh Duong's current squad is generally stable, and the V-League schedule doesn't resume until April, while Binh Duong will be playing in the AFC Champions League group stage in February and March, so it won't have much impact. Binh Duong still prioritizes its goals in the V-League."

On the opposing side, Shandong Luneng, a team founded in 1988, has a very impressive record in Chinese football. They have won the National Cup 5 times and the National Super Cup 4 times. Two weeks ago, the team coached by Cuca (who previously managed Atlético Mineiro and Cruzeiro in the Brazilian National League) defeated C-League champions Guangzhou Evergrande, coached by Fabio Cannavaro, 5-3 on penalties (the 2014 National Super Cup match ended 0-0 in regular time).

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

Following the departure of renowned Brazilian striker Vagner Love (who scored 5 goals and ranked 3rd in the 2014 AFC Champions League top scorer list), the Chinese team immediately added another Brazilian forward, Diego Tardelli. In addition, Shandong Luneng's two foreign players are Júnior Urso (Brazil) and an Argentinian player, Walter Montillo.

Besides Shandong Luneng Taishan, B.Binh Duong is also in the same group as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (South Korea) and Kashima Reysol, the Japanese team that defeated Chonburi FC (Thailand) 3-2 in the play-off round.

In the 2015 AFC Champions League, to accommodate fans and at the request of the AFC, the Binh Duong stadium organizers did not sell tickets but only printed invitation tickets to distribute to fans who wanted to attend.

According to the Cultural Center