<
>

Shanghai SIPG's Hulk and Wu Lei ready for ACL opener - Andre Villas-Boas

Shanghai SIPG coach Andre Villas-Boas has said Brazilian striker Hulk and China international Wu Lei will be available for the start of their Asian Champions League group campaign against South Korean champions FC Seoul on Tuesday.

Hulk, who joined for €55 million from Zenit St Petersburg in June, has so far appeared just seven times in the Chinese Super League because of injuries.

But Villas-Boas said: "Both Hulk and Wu Lei are in good shape and are 100 percent prepared.

"Wu Lei has recovered from his injuries, although he was absent from our last friendly."

SIPG reached the quarterfinals under Sven-Goran Eriksson last year, but Villas-Boas said: "Last season stays as last season.

"We are now at a new season. It is normal that football has wins and losses. Now we have a new opponent and our own team has changed too [with the signing of Chelsea's Oscar for €60m and the arrival of Uzbekistan international midfielder Odil Ahmedov].

"Our first target is to qualify from the group. We won't think too much about after that. We will focus on getting enough points to qualify."

SIPG are joined in their group by Western Sydney Wanderers and Japanese side Urawa Reds.

Both have previously won the tournament and Villas-Boas said: "In a difficult group like this, all the teams are competitive and targeting wins in each game.

"Every point matters. Though we are preparing with the determination of winning three points, and our target is a win, this is why we are building this team."