Trio eye first-ever AFC Champions League knockout stage appearances
Iran’s Zobahan, Qatar’s Lekhwiya, Japanese duo Urawa Red Diamonds and FC Tokyo, Korea Republic pair Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and FC Seoul, and China’s Shandong Luneng are also the hunt for a Round of 16 berth this week.
Despite domestic struggles Graham Arnold’s Sydney have performed impressively in the AFC Champions League this year and the Group H pacesetters know a victory at home to Urawa would see Sydney top the table, while a draw would also be enough to advance and seal a maiden appearance in the Round of 16.
“I’m just so happy for the players. They’ve worked so hard and they’ve done their best every week and they haven’t been rewarded and tonight’s a reward for them, but we’re not there yet,” said coach Arnold after Sydney’s 1-0 win over Pohang Steelers earlier this month.
“I want us to finish on the top of the group, it’s a reward for the fans, they’ve stuck by us through thick and thin.”
A win or draw for second-placed Urawa in Sydney could also see the J.League side advance with a match to spare should Pohang fail to beat China’s Guangzhou Evergrande on Tuesday.
Andrew Hoole will be missing due to suspension for hosts Sydney, while Ryota Moriwaki is ruled out for Urawa.
In the West, Lokomotiv and Al Nasr are in a similar position as the top two sides in Group A meet in Dubai, with a win for either side ensuring a debut in the tournament’s knockout stage.
A draw would also be enough for both sides to advance should the contest between Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad and Iran’s Sepahan fail to produce a winner.
Zobahan, meanwhile, could return to the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League for the first time since 2011 should they defeat Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.
And Al Nassr will be without suspended midfielder Ibrahim Ghaleb for a match in which defeat could spell elimination from the tournament should Lekhwiya defeat Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor.
Elsewhere, 2006 winners Jeonbuk can secure a seventh consecutive appearance in the knockout stage with victory over Group E leaders FC Tokyo coupled with a win for Vietnam’s Becamex Binh Duong over Jiangsu FC in China.
Hiroshi Jofuku’s FC Tokyo, though, need only to beat Jeonbuk to ensure a second Round of 16 appearance, while a win for the J.League side and a draw between Jiangsu and Binh Duong would also see the play-off qualifiers top the group.
Defeat for the Vietnamese champions against Jiangsu, meanwhile, would see Nguyen Thanh Son’s side eliminated from the competition.
Finally in Group F, Shandong will be without suspended duo Yang Xu and Zhao Mingjian when the Chinese Super League side host Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima chasing a win which would secure a place in the last 16 and simultaneously eliminate the J.League side.
And anything but a draw between Shandong and Sanfrecce would see FC Seoul advance regardless of the result of their home game against already-eliminated Buriram United from Thailand.
Choi Yong-soo’s FC Seoul would also win the group with a game to spare if they beat Buriram or both Group F games are drawn.
FC Seoul Midfielder Ju Se-jong and Buriram’s Brazilian striker Kaio will, however, miss the tie at Seoul World Cup Stadium due to suspension.
Sydney FC is proudly supported by its major partner University of New South Wales Australia, how will you change the world? http://www.worldchangers.unsw.edu.au/
