Forward Gao Lin is looking to guide China's Guangzhou Evergrande to a second AFC Champions League title in three years on Saturday having featured in the 2013 success.

Forward Gao Lin believes Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande carry the hopes of all Chinese football fans into Saturday's AFC Champions League final second leg against Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates as the 2013 winners bid to claim a second continental title in three years at Tianhe Sport Centre Stadium.

Although the tie is tantalisingly poised ahead of the decisive meeting in Guangzhou after the goalless stalemate in the first leg in Dubai earlier this month, a score-draw would be enough for Al Ahli to prevent Luiz Felipe Scolari's side adding to their 2013 success.

And with the Chinese national team's hopes of qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup suffering a blow after Tuesday night's goalless draw in Hong Kong, Guangzhou's fate in the AFC Champions League final takes on even greater significance.

"The Chinese fans need a team like Guangzhou Evergrande to win the AFC Champions League title," said Gao, who has been capped over 80 times for China, although missed out on the trip to Hong Kong.

"We all know that Chinese football is slowly developing, but victory in this game will give it a big push. This way we can build confidence in the Chinese players as well as fans in China; and they will not lose any hope in Chinese football.

"A lot of Chinese fans are supporting us to win on Saturday and we have a chance to reward that faith."

The 29-year-old was an important part of the Guangzhou side that lifted their maiden AFC Champions League crown two years ago under FIFA World Cup-winner Marcello Lippi to end China's 23-year wait for a continental title after Liaoning defeated Japan's Nissan FC to win the 1990 Asian Club Championship.

And Gao again has played a role in helping Guangzhou claim their fifth straight domestic title with a career-high 13 Super League goals as well as heading home against Kashiwa Reysol in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League in Japan.

"Compared to the 2013 AFC Champions League, the 2015 edition is more difficult. We suffered injuries early in the year and we had to get to this stage again step-by-step," said Gao.

"In the early or middle part of this year, no one would have expected that we could be on the verge of another domestic and continental double to match 2013. But here we are: champions of China and in the AFC Champions League final. This is really an exciting achievement."

With Lippi's role taken by Italian Fabio Cannavaro at the beginning of the 2015 campaign, Guangzhou negotiated their way past Korea Republic's FC Seoul, last year's champions Western Sydney Wanderers of Australia and Japan's Kashima Antlers to top Group H before eliminating another K-League Classic side, Seongnam FC, in the Round of 16.

That was to prove Cannavaro's last involvement in the AFC Champions League with Guangzhou, however, and Brazilian FIFA World Cup-winner Scolari took over in the summer to guide the club past Kashima and then Japan's Gamba Osaka in the semi-finals.

"To me, Lippi, Cannavaro and Scolari are all great coaches and they all have added elements to the team to help us improve and get where we are today," added Gao, whose side welcome back Korea Republic centre-back Kim Young-gwon from suspension for Saturday's showdown.

"Mr. Scolari, for example, pays more attention to the defensive side and requires more in all the details, but all three have given something to us through their great experience and we are getting strong through having had such excellent coaches.

"Two years ago we became champions of Asia by winning the AFC Champions League and since then we have not been able to replicate that kind of joy, but now we can with the game on Saturday."

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)