The February 5 encounter between Svay Rieng and Shan United ended in a 4-2 win for the CPL champs in their ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup 2024/2025 pool game. Svay Rieng FC
Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC has set its sights on securing a win over Myanmar’s Shan United in the first leg of the AFC Challenge League 2024-2025 quarterfinals.
The match will take place at Morodok Techo National Stadium at 7pm on Thursday night. However, Shan United has reportedly developed a defensive strategy which will limit the home team’s scoring opportunities.
Svay Rieng head coach Pep Munoz acknowledged that this match will be different from their previous encounter in the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup 2024/2025.
Their previous encounter – at the National Olympic Stadium on February 5 – saw his club take a 4-2 victory. He was confident in his squad’s ability to bring joy to their supporters once again.
“The previous match was about securing three points in a group stage battle, but this time, it’s a knockout match to qualify for the semi-finals. That gives us extra motivation for this game,” he told the media, during a March 5 press conference.
Svay Rieng head coach Pep Munoz shakes hands his Shan United counterpart Ono Hiroki at a March 4 press conference. CPL
The Spanish coach also shared that many of his injured players have recovered and are once again available for selection.
He emphasised that no additional motivation is needed since the team has been preparing for the AFC Cup since the start of the season.
“We will do our best to display our quality and achieve our goal for our supporters in this home game,” he said.
“We have a well-balanced squad, and both our foreign and Cambodian players are of high quality. Our main objective is to win this match at home,” he added.
Defender Soeuy Visal also expressed his determination to secure victory.
“All of our players are back and fully recovered. There are no issues – we are fully committed to winning this match,” he told the media.
Shan head coach Ono Hiroki claimed that his team has worked on improving its weaknesses in preparation for this rematch.
“Even though we lost 4-2 last time, we are more confident this time, as we have made several tactical adjustments,” he told the press.
Hiroki emphasised that he has been studying Svay Rieng’s playing style, with a focus on the performances of each of their players.
He specifically mentioned Brazilian winger Breno Caetano and forward Matheus Moresche, who were recently signed by Svay Rieng specifically for the club competition.
To counter them, Hiroki stated that his team must stay focused defensively and minimise scoring chances for the home side.
“I have instructed my defenders to stay concentrated, particularly on Svay Rieng’s strikers, as they are all dangerous in front of goal. We will give our best effort in this match,” he said.
“We must limit our opponent’s scoring opportunities in this away leg so that we have an advantage when we play the return leg at home, giving us a better chance to advance to the next round,” explained Hiroki.
