The Ulsan Hyundai Tigers, the South Korean football squad competing in Asia’s top club tournament, have identified their biggest opponent ahead of a key contest this week: themselves.

The K-League side will host Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan in the second leg of the semifinals at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. And Ulsan has put itself in prime position to reach its first AFC final.

It beat the Uzbekistan club 3-1 in the first leg in Tashkent last Wednesday. Since the aggregate score after two games will determine the winner, Ulsan can still advance to the final even with a draw.

Ulsan can also reach the final with a 2-0 loss. That result will knot the aggregate score at 3-3, but more weight will be given to goals scored on the road, with the “away goals rule” in effect as a tiebreaker.

Ulsan head coach Kim Ho-gon has admitted playing at home following a road victory will be “an easier task” but that doesn’t mean his players can afford to let their guards down.

Kim said he held a meeting with the players Monday and reminded them of a monumental collapse in AFC play by another K-League club as a cautionary tale.

In 2004, when the AFC final was a two-leg affair, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma beat Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia 3-1 on the road. Just like Ulsan this year, Seongnam only needed a draw or a defeat of two goals or fewer. Instead, the K-League team was humiliated 5-0 before the stunned home crowd.

“I watched that 2004 game in person,” Kim said. “Even though we have won 3-1, we will make sure we are prepared to play well again in the second match. I told our players that we are not yet in the final.”

Ulsan would also do well to avoid getting called for fouls this week. In Tashkent, six starting players received yellow cards, including striker Rafinha, who has netted four goals in his last three Champions League matches, and central-back Kwak Tae-hwi, the team’s defensive leader. (Yonhap News)