Western Sydney Wanderers striker Tomi Juric was coy as to whether he could play a full match in the Asian Champions League final having recently come back from a groin injury.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 23-year-old scored the decisive goal that gave his club a 1-0 advantage heading into the second leg against Al-Hilal in Riyadh and says his ability to play 90 minutes in the return leg is largely hinged on the pace of the game. Juric is considered likely to start on Saturday night with fellow striker Brendon Santalab still battling the effects of a dislocated shoulder sustained during the first leg.
While he's confident in his own ability to get through the game, he was unsure whether he would be able to last extra-time if the match required that and whether coach Tony Popovic was assured of his fitness.
"It's a hard one, it all depends how the game goes and what kind of tempo it is, how we play and how they play," Juric said. "I'm confident I can do 90 minutes but then again that's up to the boss and if he reckons I'm good for it, he'll keep me on or he'll take me off. Obviously, it depends what he thinks."
The striker has been short of match fitness in recent weeks, having missed almost two months of club football due to suspensions, injury and international duty. He made his return against Al-Hilal in his first match since playing for the Socceroos against Saudi Arabia and says while he has become familiar with Saudi football, his Asian Champions League opponents offer more variety in their style of play.
"It's hard to predict, obviously they play at a high tempo and with the national team they did and here being Al-Hilal they have a few foreigners in their team, which definitely changes the style a little bit. They've got quality individuals in Thiago [Neves] and [Mihai] Pintilii and they showed that on the weekend as well. They've got something special and we have to try and keep them at bay," Juric said.
Despite his heroics at Pirtek Stadium in the first leg, Juric says he is eager to start and avoid the "super-sub" tag.
"I don't want to be labelled a super sub. I just come and do the job for my team as best as I can. Whether that's from the bench or from the starting eleven, I'm happy to do it," he said.
