AFC Champions League Elite
Despite coming into the tournament on the back of a five-match winless run domestically, Hasebe has no intention of making drastic changes to the Japanese side.
While acknowledging Al Hilal SFC’s incredible 7-0 win against Gwangju FC in Friday’s opening quarter-final tie, Hasebe does not believe the result can be used as a yardstick for other matches.
“The result was what it was but we cannot say too much in general about East teams versus West teams,” said Hasebe.
“Every team is different but if that’s the perception then I hope to be able to break that kind of thinking."
“Al Sadd are a very strong team with an experienced coach and players. We have to keep our attacking football and show that. And we cannot concede goals easily.
“Our target is of course to win the three games and the title but most important now is to focus on the first one and win that.”
Preview: Quarter-Finals | AFC Champions League Elite™ Finals Jeddah 2025
Frontale finished second in the East League Stage with five wins, then had a tricky Round of 16 tie against China PR’s Shanghai Shenhua, coming back from a 1-0 first leg defeat to triumph 4-0 in the second leg.
Al Sadd advanced after a fourth place finish in the West League Stage, before being put through a tough test by UAE’s Al Wasl FC, winning the two-leg tie 4-2 on aggregate.
Head coach Felix Sanchez has decided on his approach to the game, having studied Frontale’s matches and expects his players to rise to the occasion.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game but the players have shown that we can compete in all the 10 games so far,” said the Spaniard. “We hope to produce a performance to get a positive result."
“We followed the Kawasaki team in the league in the last weeks. They have a defined way of playing with lots of options.
“We have to try to manage this situation. We need to be aware of the opposition but we need to focus on producing our best level.”
Kawasaki Frontale (JPN) v Al Sadd SC (QAT)
Venue: Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium (Jeddah)
Kick-off: Sunday, 19:30 (UTC+3)
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