Shanghai SIPG striker Elkeson (R) competes for the ball against FC Tokyo's Hideto Takahashi during their first leg match in the AFC Champions League knockout stage. (Photo : Getty Images)
Chinese Super League powerhouse Shanghai SIPG FC and J. League Division 1 club FC Tokyo will clash for the second leg of their 2016 AFC Champions League round-of-16 matchup in a match scheduled at the Shanghai Stadium on Tuesday, May 24.
Last week, their first leg meeting held at the Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo ended in a 2-1 win for the Japanese capital city squad, Cri English reported.
Japanese winger Kota Mizunuma scored a double during the contest at the 43rd and 65th minutes, sandwiching the goal of Chinese striker Wu Lei at the 55th, as the Group E runners-up take the early advantage over the Group G winners in their series.
"I am happy we won," Mizunuma told reporters after the match, via the Japan Times. "I haven't been delivering results so I was really determined to do that in today's match."
"I just tried to wallop my shot for the first goal and for the second goal I got a good connection on it. I'm relieved," he said, describing his brace. "We have got the home win and I hope the fans will come and watch us away in the second leg like they did in Vietnam (in the last group-stage game against Binh Duong.)"
Shanghai needs to prevent Tokyo from scoring more away goals than the single one they netted during their home game to have a clear path to the quarterfinals, which means a clean sheet performance is required of Sven-Göran Eriksson's boys to progress.
SIPG will once again showcase the talents of their resident internationals, namely Brazilian striker Elkeson, Ghanaian forward Asamoah Gyan, Argentine midfielder Dario Conca, and Ivorian winger Jean Evrard Kouassi. The steady defense of South Korean center back Kim Ju-young will also be available for Eriksson during the match.
Meanwhile, Mizunuma will once again feature for Tokyo as well as manager Hiroshi Jofuku may come into the game with an all-local lineup.
The predicted result is a 2-0 victory for Shanghai SIPG to advance in the quarters.
Shanghai SIPG starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Yan; Foo, Kim, Shi, Wang S.; Cai, Yu; Wu, Conca, Lu; Elkeson
FC Tokyo starting lineup (4-1-4-1 formation): Akimoto; Hashimoto, Yoshimoto, Morishige, Tokunaga; Takahashi; Mizunuma, Hanyu, Yonemoto, Higashi; Maeda
