Yokohama F. Marinos head coach Yasuhiro Higuchi is well aware that Guangzhou Evergrande will provide a stern test for his side this week.
The J.League club host the reigning Asian and Chinese champions in their second Group G fixture of this season's AFC Asian Champions League on Wednesday.
In the opening match, Higuchi's Yokohama lost 3-0 to South Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai while Guangzhou came from behind to beat Australia's Melbourne Victory 4-2 in China.
Ahead of this week's encounter, Higuchi said he was expecting a difficult test from the Marcello Lippi-managed Tigers.
"As they are managed by (Marcello) Lippi, they have a very sophisticated way of playing. They also have a very powerful strike force," said Higuchi.
"We respect them a lot because they are the current champions but we look forward to challenging ourselves against them."
A brace from Italian attacking midfielder Alessandro Diamanti allowed Evergrande to come from two goals down against the Victory in their opening ACL fixture. Guangzhou's Chinese Super League title defence kicked off on Saturday with a 3-0 home victory over Henan Jianye.
