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If any Sydney FC player can claim to boast Asian Champions League experience it’s striker Matt Simon, but even he’s yet to set foot in the unfamiliar territory of the last 16.
With two previous ACL campaigns under his belt for former A-League club Central Coast, Simon is practically a veteran when it comes to delicately balancing a battle on two fronts with long-haul flights and minimal training.
It held the 30-year-old in good stead throughout a gruelling final few A-League weeks which overlapped with the ACL and included a horror fortnight featuring five matches – one a trip to Japan.
“It’s my third campaign now so I’m quite used to the demands of the travel – obviously the travel for Australian teams is a lot – and what you have to do on and off the park to back up in games each week,” Simon told AAP.
“But it’s been good, really enjoyable.
“Finishing top of the group is a massive achievement for the club so there’s a real buzz around the place.
“A lot was said about our A-League season and no one was more disappointed than the players, so it’s credit to the boys that we’ve done well in the ACL.”
But even Simon can’t use past experiences to advise his teammates on how best to approach their high-stakes round-of-16 tie against Chinese side Shandong Luneng – a maiden knockout-stage appearance for both himself and the Sky Blues.
Though Central Coast made the round 16 in 2013, under current Sydney coach Graham Arnold, the long-time Mariners stalwart had not yet returned from his stint in Korea when the Gosford outfit lost both legs to eventual champions Guangzhou Evergrande.
Just like the rest of the Sydney squad, the physical striker has been excitedly feeling his way through in the lead-up to Wednesday night’s away leg against Shandong.
The thirst for a coveted quarter-finals spot is motivation enough, while Arnold has been dissecting footage of their opponents in search for a key in their game that could unlock the door.
Simon admits to knowing little about Shandong, a team stocked with talent yet one also woefully underperforming in the Chinese Super League.
If anything, he’s anticipating an onslaught.
“I expect them to be very attacking,” Simon said.
“They’re going to be at home, so they’ll want to try and score as many goals as possible being a two-legged tie.
“They’ll want to win in front of their fans and try and come to Sydney with a good result behind them.
“We’re going to have to be strong defensively, and hopefully we can get a couple of goals as well.”
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