“Many players have performed well lately and even if the starting line-up has changed, we have still managed to achieve good results,” said Shirasaki.

“We all have the desire to win, which has made us improve. We don’t feel so much pressure, even though we are the defending champions and winning a second successive title is really difficult.

“But, as holders, we must be able to handle any pressure, as pressure is just an excuse for not playing to your full potential.”

Shirasaki was not part of the 2018 march to the final, which culminated in a goalless draw against Persepolis in front of 100,000 at Azadi Stadium as a 2-0 aggregate win over the Iranians saw Kashima claim Continental glory for the first time.

The 26-year-old midfielder joined the Ibaraki side from Shimizu S-Pulse prior to the 2019 campaign and is playing in the AFC Champions League for the first time in his career.

“Flying for long distances, having games abroad and spending time in different environments are tougher than I imagined,” admitted Shirasaki. 

“But it’s stimulating to have these new experiences and it helps me and the team grow. We all know how important it is to win and that’s why I wanted to join Kashima.”

Having produced a solid performance in midfield against more household names such as Paulinho and Talisca the first leg at Tianhe Stadium, Shirasaki came close to leaving Guangzhou the hero.

In a second half that had somewhat petered out after an entertaining opening 45 minutes, his superb effort from distance in the dying minutes clipped the crossbar on the way over as he was denied a first goal in the competition by the narrowest of margins. 

But, while the onus will be on Kashima to go for the win, the fact they were unable to register an away goal means Guangzhou carry a considerable threat at the other end. 

“If the trajectory of the ball was a little more to the right, it would have gone in, so I should think about these details to help me score more goals,” reflected Shirasaki.

“I don’t think 0-0 was a negative result, though. The best result would have been getting an away goal and winning, but we will have our supporters behind us in Kashima and we have the belief we can get to the next round.

"[Paulinho and Talisca] are experienced and great players, but we defended well against them as a team and we know it is important to do the same in the next game.

“We have home advantage and, although we know it will be tough, we have confidence in our attack. We are fully focused on winning the game.”

Photo: Kashima Antlers