Suwon: Sitting a win away from claiming the top Asian women's club football prize, Tokyo Verdy Beleza head coach Naoki Kusunose said he expects a difficult showdown against his North Korean opponent. Tokyo Verdy Beleza will face Naegohyang Women's FC of North Korea in the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League at 2 p.m. Saturday at Suwon Stadium, located 30 kilometers south of Seoul.

According to Yonhap News Agency, this is the second edition of the Women's Champions League, with both clubs participating in the competition for the first time. In Wednesday's semifinals, Tokyo Verdy Beleza triumphed over Melbourne City FC with a 3-1 victory, while Naegohyang secured a 2-1 win against South Korea's Suwon FC Women. "For the entire team, the goal is to win the Asian title," Kusunose stated at his prematch press conference Friday. "We're happy to have reached the final, and we will try our best and play our brand of football."

Kusunose's team previously defeated Naegohyang 4-0 in their Group C meeting in November last year, but the coach anticipates a more challenging encounter this time. "Naegohyang have made some changes to their squad, and they are a very good team in terms of power and speed," the Japanese tactician mentioned. "Even though we beat them in the group stage, this match won't be as simple as the last one. If we don't play at our best, we may be pushed around."

Prior to the inception of the Women's Champions League, the AFC ran the Women's Club Championship from 2019 to 2024 as a pilot competition. Tokyo Verdy Beleza claimed victory in the 2019 edition, which was also hosted in South Korea. "I didn't know the team won the club title seven years ago," Kusunose admitted. "Winning a tournament as big as this will be important not only for Tokyo Verdy Beleza but also for Japanese football as a whole."

Defender Tomoko Muramatsu expressed that she and her teammates had long targeted the AFC trophy since the onset of the group stage. "I believe we can win the title if we play our game, and winning the trophy here will be a great opportunity to demonstrate our football to the rest of the world," she said. "It will be an important occasion for us to see how we stack up."

The champions will be awarded US$1 million in prize money, while the runners-up will receive $500,000.