It’s Asian Champions League decision day(s) tonight and tomorrow, as the final group games get underway for qualification to the last 16. Looking at the whole thing, but concentrating on the Japanese teams, of course, here goes … Tuesday, tonight …
After losing to Kashima Antlers a fortnight ago at Parramatta Stadium, Western Sydney Wanderers go into their final showdown with Group H victors Guangzhou Evergrande five points behind the 2013 champions from China and a point adrift of Kashima and FC Seoul, who currently share second place.
So, WSW need a win, but also need the match in Japan between Kashima and FC Seoul to be a draw to guarantee progress to the Round of 16. Japan-watchers should note that Western Sydney will be without Yusuke Tanaka due to suspension.
If there is a winner between Kashima and FC Seoul, and, of course we are hoping, no, EXPECTING it to be Antlers, they would take the runners-up place in Group H and eliminate their opponent as well as Western Sydney.
FC Seoul have defender Kim Jin-kyu out due to suspension.
In Group G Suwon Samsung have already qualified for the Round of 16, the other entrant into the knockout stages from Group G will be either China’s Beijing Guoan or Brisbane Roar of Australia. Beijing need just a point from the meeting with Suwon in Korea Republic to secure progress due to their three point advantage, although they are missing Lang Zheng, Ha Dae-sung and Yu Dabao to suspension. Their roughhouse tactics finally coming back to haunt them?
Brisbane need to defeat the already eliminated Urawa Reds AND hope that Beijing slip up against Suwon. It has been reported that Reds have sent a much depleted squad to Australia, something that might not go down too well with Beijing if results go against them, although the pathetic showing of Reds in the ACL this season can only mean that any decent display is an improvement and, as is often the case, sending players who actually have a place in future matches to play for – players with something to prove, players with the motivation to show that they should be preferred over the failures of past matches – may well work for Reds (and Beijing) in the end!
In Group D, Al Ahli of the UAE must beat already eliminated Tractorsazi Tabriz of Iran in Dubai and hope group winners Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia overcome Nasaf with the Uzbek side currently holding two point advantage.
In Group C, Al Hilal and 2011 winners Al Sadd will face off at Riyadh’s King Fahd International Stadium to determine the winner of the group C, although both sides have already qualified for the knockout stages. A draw would be enough for Qatar’s Al Sadd having earlier beaten the 2014 finalists 1-0 at home, while Al Hilal must win without their suspended striker Nassir Al Shamrani.
On Wednesday nine teams will be fighting for five remaining places in the qualifying stages!
Iran’s Persepolis and Naft Tehran, Qatar’s Lekhwiya, Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor, China’s Shandong Luneng, Thailand’s Buriram United, Korea’s Jeonbuk Motors and our own Gamba Osaka will be looking for the right results to qualify.
Persepolis currently occupy second spot in Group A and sit just a point behind table-topping Lekhwiya despite losing 3-0 to the Qatar champions a fortnight ago, but Al Nassr are only a point behind ensuring a grandstand finish on the final Matchday.
And Saudi Arabian champions Al Nassr must at least draw against a Lekhwiya side who still need to avoid defeat to ensure their own qualification, while also hoping Persepolis fail to win in Tehran to stand any chance of making their first appearance in the Round of 16 since 2011.
Elsewhere, although Al Ain have already secured their passage to the last 16, the newly-crowned Emirati champions will face second placed Naft at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium looking to secure top spot and home advantage in the second leg of their last 16 tie later this month. However, with Pakhtakor just two points behind Naft in third, a victory for the Uzbek club over already-eliminated Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia could see them leapfrog Naft and take the remaining ticket to the knockout stages if the Iranians were to lose in Al Ain.
In Group E, with Kashiwa Reysol already assured of a place in the last 16, Jeonbuk and Shandong see a winner-take-all showdown in Jeonju to decide who will join Reysol in the draw for the next round.
Jeonbuk will be without suspended midfielder Lee Ho and defender Cho Sung-hwan for the visit of the Chinese Super League side, who have midfielder Zhang Chi suspended.
Unbeaten Reysol will wrap up their group stage campaign with a visit to Binh Duong and will be expecting a win to take them confidently into the qualifying stages unbeaten.
And so to Group F, with both Gamba and Buriram remaining in the hunt for the remaining place in the last 16 alongside Korea’s Seongnam FC. Seongnam secured their place in the last 16 two weeks ago, but they will look to clinch the group at Gamba, who must match Buriram’s result against already-eliminated Guangzhou R&F of China to advance with the pair currently level on points but with the Japanese side winning any tie on points with head-to-head advantage.
There is even the possibility of Seongnam, Gamba and Buriram finishing level on points at the top of the table, although then the Korean side are ensured of progress in at least second place due to their head-to-head record against both Gamba and Buriram.
(Pictures, and some text, courtesy of World Sport Group)
