Sousa sure Quanjian can ace Asian debut

Tianjin Quanjian has high hopes for its maiden AFC Champions League (ACL) campaign, which kicks off this week.

New Quanjian coach Paulo Sousa was in bullish mood ahead of Tuesday's Group E opener against Hong Kong's Kitchee and expects his squad to make the knockout stages.

"Quanjian's ACL appearance is a huge boost for Chinese soccer clubs, and we are confident we can defeat every opponent in the following games," said the Portuguese coach, who won Europe's Champions League as a player with Juventus in 1996 and Borussia Dortmund in 1997.