Fabio braces for Tianjin return

Fabio Cannavaro is torn by the prospect of facing his former club Tianjin Quanjian in the knockout round of the Asian Champions League after the Italian coach successfully steered his Guangzhou Evergrande side into the last 16 on Tuesday.

A 3-1 win over Cerezo Osaka, courtesy of a second-half brace from Alan Carvalho, saw the two-time champion finish atop Group G and set up a meeting with the runner-up in Group E.

Two points separate leader Jeonbuk Motors of South Korea and second-place Tianjin in that group, with their respective matches against Kitchee from Hong Kong and Japan's Kashiwa Reysol on Wednesday to decide Evergrande's next opponent.