AFC Champions League goes down to the wire
SINGAPORE: Sydney FC face one of the biggest matches in their history tomorrow against Japanese powerhouse Urawa Red Diamonds as the group phase of the AFC Champions League goes down to the wire.
Three teams have booked their spots in the quarter-finals of Asia's top club competition - Japan's Kawasaki Frontale, Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal and United Arab Emirates side Al Wahda.
They join defending champions Jeonbuk Motors of South Korea who qualified automatically.
The final four places are up for grabs on Wednesday and for many of the Sydney players it will be the biggest match of their lives.
"I've played in a couple of local derbies in Germany in front of big crowds, but this will be a full house with a lot riding on it," captain Mark Rudan told the Sydney Morning Herald. "For Sydney FC - a club I hold dear to my heart, being a Sydney boy - it is probably the biggest game I've been part of."
Sydney go into the game with eight points. The Reds have nine and Persik Kediri of Indonesia, who play Shanghai Shenhua, have seven.
Urawa are coming off a morale-boosting 2-1 victory at Nagoya Grampus Eight on Saturday with a late winner from Brazilian striker Washington keeping them in touch with J-League leaders Gamba Osaka.
China's Shandong Luneng also have a crunch match, travelling to South Korea for a showdown with Seongnam Chunma. Shandong sit pretty on 13 points ahead of Seongnam on 10 and a draw will be enough to see them through.
Shandong will benefit from their Chinese Super League clash against Tianjin Teda being postponed on Friday to allow them more time to prepare, as they face a side currently riding high on top of the K-League.
In the other inconsequential Group G game, Adelaide United play Vietnamese whipping boys Dong Tam Long An.
Group C action sees Uzbek league leaders Neftchi up against Syria's Al Karama in Homs with two points separating the sides. A draw for Neftchi would be enough to make the quarter-finals.
Iraq's Al Najaf play Qatari outfit Al Sadd for the group wooden spoon.
The other crucial showdown sees Iran's Sepahan crossing swords with Saudi side Al Shabab. Both have 10 points in Group D.
Following Wednesday's action, the competition pauses for the Asian Cup finals before resuming in September.
AFP
(China Daily 05/22/2007 page23)
