Three weeks after a heartbreaking last-minute 3-2 defeat to Indonesia’s Persib Bandung, the Lion City Sailors return to AFC Champions League (ACL) Two action with a challenging away fixture against Chinese Super League (CSL) side Zhejiang Professional at the Yellow Dragon Sports Center in Hangzhou on Thursday (28 November) night. 

A Zhejiang side in a desperate situation 

The hosts will be eager to make a statement, as their ACL Two campaign so far has fallen short of expectations.

Placed in Group F alongside three Southeast Asian clubs, Zhejiang were widely regarded as favourites to secure a top-two finish and progress to the knockout stages. However, they currently find themselves at the bottom of the table with just three points from four matches.

Their campaign began with a 2-0 loss to the Sailors in Singapore in September. Although they bounced back with a 1-0 victory over Persib on Matchday Two, consecutive defeats home and away against Thailand’s Port FC have left their hopes hanging by a thread. 

Nothing less than a win will keep their chances of progression alive, but their bid is hindered by the suspension of three players — including talismanic striker Leonardo, the second-highest scorer in the recently concluded 2024 CSL season with 21 goals from 29 matches.

On a brighter note, captain Franko Andrijašević is available for selection after recovering from the injury that ruled him out of the first encounter with the Sailors. The former Croatian international has scored in each of his last two appearances in all competitions.

At the pre-match press conference, Zhejiang head coach Jordi Vinyals emphasised the importance of the upcoming clash. 

“Tomorrow night’s game means a lot to us because it’s our final home match of the group stage. It’s an AFC Champions League Two fixture, and we want to take all three points to secure progression to the next stage. We’ll show our determination and deliver a great performance for our fans,” he said.

“Of course, the Sailors have very strong foreign players and defend very well. We don’t want to see the kind of wrong judgments we experienced in the last game. We’ll try to make adjustments and capitalise on every chance to score.”

This has been a challenging year for Zhejiang, who finished seventh in the 16-team CSL — four places lower than their previous campaign — and suffered defeats in nearly half of their league matches (14 out of 30).

To make matters worse, they conceded 60 goals over the season, a tally exceeded only by last-placed and relegated Nantong Zhiyuan, who allowed 66. Their hopes of securing continental football next season now rest entirely on their ability to pull off something remarkable in ACL Two.

Reflecting on his team’s performance in the CSL this year, Vinyals said defiantly, “We believe we’ve improved this season compared to before. Obviously, we missed some key chances, but achieving a strong ranking was still a good outcome for us. 

“In ACL Two, we faced many challenges but improved with every game. If we win tomorrow, it will be a great way to end the year.”

A battle against the crowd and the cold

Nonetheless, Zhejiang will be counting on their passionate home support to drive them to three crucial points. According to popular football stats website Transfermarkt, their home attendance in the recent 2024 CSL season averaged an impressive 19,805. 

The strong support has carried over to their ACL Two campaign, with 23,931 fans turning up for their match against Persib on 3 October and 16,933 attending their clash with Port on 7 November at the Yellow Dragon Sports Center – numbers that are a clear testament to the unwavering loyalty of their fans.

“Obviously, there are a lot of fans coming to our matches. In fact, when we face difficult situations, they give us a lot of support and motivation to keep going,” said Zhejiang veteran winger Gu Bin.

“It’s our home court, and we’ll try our best to score and win the game for our fans, even though we know the opponents are a very strong team.”

Another advantage for the home side is their familiarity with the cold climate. Hangzhou, now in late autumn and transitioning to early winter, experiences average temperatures ranging from 14°C to 5°C — a stark contrast to Singapore’s tropical weather.

To help the players adapt to the chilly conditions, the Sailors have provided thermal innerwear and winter jackets, mirroring their preparations for last October’s clash against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in Jeonju, South Korea.

Despite the challenging conditions, Sailors centre-back Toni Datković is confident in his team’s ability to rise to the occasion and deliver on Thursday night.

“As a European, I’m used to both winter and summer, so I’m happy to play in colder conditions because it’s easier to breathe,” said the former LaLiga 2 man, who played alongside Andrijašević in his solitary cap for the Croatia national team in 2017. 

“That said, I know some of our local players may not be as acclimatised, but we are professionals, and we’ll give our all to represent the club in the best way possible here.

“For us and the entire team, this is a really important game — just like every other game in the group. We’ve already shown that we can beat them, and we’re determined to do it again and take one step closer to the knockout stages.”

Sailors still in a strong position

The Sailors’ loss to Persib three weeks ago was undoubtedly a setback, but they remain in a strong position to qualify for the knockout rounds, with their fate still firmly in their own hands.

With two matches remaining, the second-placed Sailors hold a three-point advantage over their nearest challengers, Persib. A positive result in Hangzhou, combined with a Port victory over Persib on the same night, would secure a historic qualification to the ACL Two’s last 16 for the Sailors.

Their cause is further strengthened by the return of Dutch midfielder Bart Ramselaar, who is back from a two-match suspension. He will team up with key players like Shawal Anuar and Maxime Lestienne as the Sailors remain focused on their mission to make Singapore football proud.

However, Sailors head coach Aleksandar Ranković acknowledged that they had faced several challenges in their preparation for the game, although he remains confident in his team’s readiness for the crucial clash.

“Our preparations haven’t been ideal. We’ve had some injury issues, and with the rainy season in Singapore, our pitches were completely under water a few times, so we had to improvise,” he explained. “Nonetheless, at this stage of the competition, we already know what we need to do.”

Ranko also discussed the Sailors’ tactics for the game, as he said, “The way we play sometimes depends on our opponents. It’s not just about transitions; we know when and how to execute in certain phases of the game. 

“When we have the ball, the opponents are looking for the same answers. It’ll be a totally different game from the one in Singapore in terms of tactics.”