Brazilian manager Luis Felipe Scolari believes that the Guangzhou Evergrande football team can surpass their fourth-place finish at the Club World Cup this year, according to a report by China Daily.
"I'm well aware that it will be difficult, but after winning the Chinese Super League and the AFC Champions League, we can be optimistic," Scolari said in an interview on Saturday, Dec. 12. "I know that we can get past the first hurdle."
In 2013, Guangzhou Evergrande finished fourth in the Club World Cup in Morroco under Marcello Lippi's supervision.
Ever since Scolari replaced Fabio Cannavaro in June of this year, the team has bagged several games--18 wins and 5 draws--in both domestic and continental competitions.
The transition was also easy for Scolari since the football team has five Brazilian players, including former Tottenham player Paulinho and Ricardo Goulart. Despite this, Scolari is proud of his domestic players.
"Our Chinese players are good and several of them would be able to play in European leagues," he said.
This year, Guangzhou will start their campaign for the championship on Sunday, Dec. 20. The team will face Mexican club America, the CONCACAF champions.
If Guangzhou wins, the team will face Barcelona for the semifinals at Yokohama International Stadium, the very same place where Scolari helped Brazil win a World Cup victory over Germany back in 2002.
"Guangzhou should finish higher than we did last time around," said Scolari. "This is our target. We're going to give everything we have in the competition, beginning with the meeting against our Mexican opponents on Sunday."
Scolari's players are also optimistic that they will fare well in the upcoming game.
"We are a more balanced side," said Guangzhou midfielder Huang Bowen. "Under Lippi we were very much an attack-minded team, but Scolari has transformed us into a much more all-round team, capable of attacking and defending well."