ACL 09: Park relishing Korean clash

For SAFFC winger Park Tae Won (above), the Asian Champions League game against K-League champions Suwon Bluewings on Wednesday will be a reunion of sorts.

The Korean will be catching up with Song Chong Gug, who was his team-mate at K-League side Chunnam Dragons in 2000. Defensive lynchpin Song was then a rising talent who went on to claim his place in the historic Korean team that finished fourth in the 2002 World Cup.

Suwon's goalkeeper Lee Woon Jae would also be a familiar face to many. He kept the likes of Francesco Totti at bay in that World Cup.

The Warriors' 1-4 loss to Shanghai Shenhua still rankles several players, and they are determined to give a good account of themselves on the Asian stage. In Saturday's 2-1 win over the Young Lions, several players such as Therdsak Chaiman and Masahiro Fukasawa played less than a full game with an eye on the Suwon clash four days later.

Suwon, on the other hand, are coming into the game high on confidence after a 4-1 crushing of J-League champions Kashima Antlers. New signing Chinese international defender Li Weifeng was on target as were Park Hyun Bum, Hong Soon Hak and Brazilian forward Edu.

Said Park: "I watched one of Suwon's recent games on a DVD that a friend of mine sent from Korea, and they are a really good side. They have many good players, and are very confident and experienced.

"But I think our team is not that bad too. At the end of the day, it is still 11 versus 11. Anything can happen."