On Wednesday night, Sydney FC will taste AFC Champions League knockout football for the first time since 2016 and heading into this clash with Bangkok United, Ufuk Talay knows how important this is.
Sydney FC had their hearts broken with a cruel late goal against in the last knockout stage match at Sydney Football Stadium and they will be looking to ensure that doesn’t happen this time around on Wednesday.
“We need to ensure that we get a positive outcome because they are a strong side when they play at home.
“Our result here will dictate what we do once we get over there,” Talay said.
“The boys have been in good spirits and despite the short turn around, everyone in a physical sense is feeling good so we are looking forward to the challenge of playing against a good opponent at home in the ACL.”
The Head Coach saw his side score two goals with less than two minutes left in regulation against the Wanderers and that continued their trend of scoring and finishing games strongly.
With the 30,000 strong crowd that they had on Saturday, Ufuk Talay is hoping that many return on Wednesday night.
“The support on the weekend against the Wanderers was immense and that last 15 minutes when the crowd was urging our boys to keep pushing, I think that plays a massive role.
“This is our own Champions League and Europa League and it needs to become part of our DNA and part of our football culture that there are games midweek and fans do comeout and support the team in this competition.
“The more that this happens the more it becomes part of the culture and with the money on offer, it gives the club the opportunity to reinvest whether that goes into the team, Academy or the facilities,” Talay said.
“This is a great opportunity for clubs to be exposed in Asia and to be challenged in these unique environments so for us it is very important that we get through this Round of 16 and get to the next stage.”
