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February 25, 2017

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Scolari not feeling any Super Cup pressure

LUIZ Felipe Scolari, head coach of Guangzhou Evergrande, says that he is feeling no pressure as his side prepares to take on Jiangsu Suning in the Chinese Football Association Super Cup in Chongqing City today.

“Everything is fine,” the Brazilian World Cup-winning coach said at a pre-match press briefing in the southwest China municipality yesterday. “We feel no pressure for tomorrow’s match.”

“Both teams have a chance to win. So we just take the match as a normal one,” he added.

Both teams had a busy mid-week schedule with Evergrande pounding the Hong Kong, China minnow Eastern SC 7-0 in an AFC Champions League match in Guangzhou on Wednesday, while Jiangsu scored a 1-0 away win over Jeju United of South Korea.

Today the two sides will play in the CFA Super Cup, the opener of the 2017 Chinese football season.

“After the AFC Champions League match, we started training for the Super Cup and will take the match seriously,” said Zheng Zhi, captain of Evergrande, which is aiming to go one better than its triple-title winning season last year by going for four titles — the Super Cup, the Chinese Super League, the CFA Cup and the ACL — in 2017.

For his part, Jiangsu head coach Choi Yong-soo insisted his side was the underdog. “Frankly speaking, Guangzhou is the best in the Chinese Super League, and we are at a slight disadvantage. But we will be united as one and do our utmost in tomorrow’s match. Besides we have a score to settle with Guangzhou,” the Korean said.

During the 2016 edition, which also pitted the same two teams, Guangzhou wrapped up a 2-0 victory for its second Super Cup trophy since 2012. Apart from the two Super Cup finals, Jiangsu also lost to Guangzhou in the 2016 CFA Cup final.

“It might be my destiny to face Guangzhou in several finals. I would rather enjoy it than take it as a burden,” said Choi. “We have nothing to lose. Just go for it.”

The CFA Super Cup, which was inaugurated in 1995 and resumed in 2012 after being halted in 2004, features the CSL champion and the CFA Cup winner.




 

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