Arnold dares to dream in clash with Asian titans Tough ask: The Guangzhou Evergrande fans at last week's Gosford clash will be no match for the 40,000 on hand at Wednesday's home leg. They might be the longest of long-shots to overhaul a 2-1 deficit against Guangzhou Evergrande in Wednesday night's second leg but Central Coast Mariners coach Graham Arnold says his team can pull off an Asian Champions League miracle to make the quarter-finals. It is not the size of the lead but the relative size of the clubs that is creating pessimism and leading most to believe victory for Guangzhou is inevitable. Each year, the Chinese club spend over $40 million on their players, a budget some 20 times larger than the Australian champions. Still, as this has been the season of dreams for Central Coast, Arnold is asking his players to lift once more - and to put the mega-rich hosts on the back foot right from the start at Tianhe Stadium. ""The key for us is to finish our chances. There's going to be 40,000 or 50,000 there on Wednesday and if we can score an early goal that will put enormous pressure on them and could really silence the crowd,"" Arnold said from the team hotel. ""We'll be going out there with a really strong belief we can put some real pressure on them. It's a been a long season but the boys are still hungry. Winning a championship and making the round of 16 in the ACL is great, but that's not enough for this group. They want to stay alive and make the quarter-final."" To do so, they will need some luck - and Arnold reckons they might have been given a big slice of it over the weekend. ""We're not expecting Lucas Barrios to play - it seems he was injured in a league match at the weekend and that's potentially a very big boost to us,"" he said. ""If you take him out of the equation, they have to find a replacement, and that's not easy for a player of his class."" While the gun Paraguayan striker is missing for Evergande, the Mariners will regain blossoming young defender Trent Sainsbury, who missed the first leg at Bluetongue Stadium after straining his hamstring in the Socceroos training camp the previous week. ""He's fit and healthy and he'll be ready to play,"" Arnold said. ""I thought Zac [Anderson] did well last week but Sainsbury has had a tremendous season. I have to decide if I start ""Sains"" at centre-half or right back."" Putting Sainsbury on the right could help the Mariners deal with the player who caused the most trouble in the first leg, Brazilian forward Muriqui. ""Muriqui gave Pedj [Bojic] a torrid night so we'll have to be wary of his threat,"" Arnold said. ""The centre-halves did well, so I have to think if I want to break that combination up."" The steamy and humid conditions in Guangzhou have been touch for the Mariners since they arrived - one day earlier than usual on Sunday - but the 8.30pm kick-off should be significantly more accommodating.