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I-League runners-up Pune welcome Vietnam champions Hanoi T&T FC to the Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex as the battle for just four places in the group stage of the 2014 AFC Champions League begins on Wednesday with the first round of play-offs.
Pune FC are looking to convert strong recent domestic form, which has yielded top five finishes over the last four seasons including their 2012/13 runners-up spot, to become India’s first-ever AFC Champions League participant through the playoffs.
Pune FC Coach Mike Snoei was happy ahead of the game and explained, “It’s an historic moment for the club. In seven years since establishing, Pune FC has come very far making progress on and off the field. Now it is the responsibility of the players to give their all on the biggest stage.”
“The game won’t be easy, but we have beaten big teams like Bengaluru FC, Churchill Brothers and Mohun Bagan here (in Pune), and we will to take positives from it,” Snoei added.
Hanoi T&T FC, meanwhile, are looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow Vietnamese side Nam Dinh who appeared in the group stage of the 2008 AFC Champions League.
Having appeared in the group stage of the AFC Cup in 2011, Hanoi T&T earned their place in the AFC Champions League playoffs after edging out Da Nang to claim the V-League title for a second time.
Hanoi coach Phan Thanh Hung said, “This is our first game in the AFC Champions League and we have prepared very hard for it. We have a lot of respect for the home team, but we want to try and win this game.”
The winner at Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex will travel to Thailand to face domestic runners-up Muangthong United FC in the second round on February 8.
