Asian Champions' League Quarter Final Preview
Kashiwa Reysol vs Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao
Kashiwa have had a bit of a nightmare season domestically, finishing fourteenth in the first phase of the J-League season. Despite starting the second stage of their J-League campaign strongly, they go into this match as underdogs against 2013 ACL winners Guangzhou. In the previous round, Kashiwa scraped past Korean side Suwon Bluewings on away goals, having won three-two away. Brazilian striker Christiano has hit top form recently, scoring a hat trick against Sanfrecce Hiroshima last week, and Kashiwa fans will be hoping that he can bring that form into the ACL match with Guangzhou.
Two goals from Brazilian international Ricardo Goulart helped Guangzhou defeat Seongnam in the previous round of this competition. This year, other teams have started to catch up with Guangzhou domestically, and the club are currently battling with Shanghai SIPG for the league title. The Chinese side look likely to be without key player Elkeson, who is carrying an injury, and Robinho, who isn’t in the ACL squad. Equally, a large portion of Guangzhou’s squad, including key striker Gao Lin, recently played in the East Asian Cup and so haven’t had much time to recover over the short summer break. As a result, an upset by Reysol could well be possible.
Kashiwa have had a bit of a nightmare season domestically, finishing fourteenth in the first phase of the J-League season. Despite starting the second stage of their J-League campaign strongly, they go into this match as underdogs against 2013 ACL winners Guangzhou. In the previous round, Kashiwa scraped past Korean side Suwon Bluewings on away goals, having won three-two away. Brazilian striker Christiano has hit top form recently, scoring a hat trick against Sanfrecce Hiroshima last week, and Kashiwa fans will be hoping that he can bring that form into the ACL match with Guangzhou.
Two goals from Brazilian international Ricardo Goulart helped Guangzhou defeat Seongnam in the previous round of this competition. This year, other teams have started to catch up with Guangzhou domestically, and the club are currently battling with Shanghai SIPG for the league title. The Chinese side look likely to be without key player Elkeson, who is carrying an injury, and Robinho, who isn’t in the ACL squad. Equally, a large portion of Guangzhou’s squad, including key striker Gao Lin, recently played in the East Asian Cup and so haven’t had much time to recover over the short summer break. As a result, an upset by Reysol could well be possible.
2012 ACL Final: Ulsan beat Saudi Club Al Ahli 3-0 in that match to lift the trophy for the only time in their history.
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Jeonbuk Motors vs Gamba Osaka
Despite being ten points clear of Suwon at the top of the K-League, Jeonbuk have strengthened their squad this summer, bringing in veteran players and loanees with the ACL in mind. One area where they look especially strong is up-front. Jeonbuk may have lost top-scorer Edu, who moved to Hebei Zhongji over the summer, but they have brought in Korean National Team striker Lee Geun-Ho on loan from Qatari club El Jaish, and Urko Vera from Spanish club Mirandes. Lee Geun-Ho, who has pedigree in this competition, winning it with Ulsan in 2012, is eligible to play despite participating in the preliminary rounds with El Jaish. In the 2012 tournament he was named the ACL’s MVP. Urko Vera was being pursued by several La Liga clubs before being acquired by Jeonbuk, and has been one of the stand-out players in the Segunda Division over the last two seasons, helping Eibar win the league in 2014 and scoring seventeen goals for Mirandes last season. |
Gamba Osaka demolished FC Seoul in the previous round, winning six-three on aggregate. They will be hoping that former Bayern Munich striker Takashi Usami can continue his good form and add to the four ACL goals that he has already scored this season. Veteran midfielder Yasuhito Endo will also be hoping to add another ACL winner’s medal to his collection to match the one that he won with Osaka in 2008. With the thirty-five year-old Endo coming up against Jeonbuk’s thirty-six year old Lee Dong-Gook and thirty-four year old Luiz Henrique, the stamina of the two teams will be sorely tested should this tie go to extra-time.
Al Hilal vs Lekhwiya
Saudi club Al Hilal have won the ACL twice in their history, and reached the final last season, losing one-nil on aggregate to Western Sydney Wanderers. Saudi Arabia international Nasser Al-Shamrani scored ten goals in that competition but has only managed one goal this time around. Although Lekhwiya lack Al Hilal’s ACL history, their attacking play could cause the Saudi side problems, especially Tunisian international Youssef Msakni and Korean international Nam Tae-Hee. New manager Djamel Belmadi will be hoping for a successful start from his rein, having taken over from Michael Laudrup in the summer.
Saudi club Al Hilal have won the ACL twice in their history, and reached the final last season, losing one-nil on aggregate to Western Sydney Wanderers. Saudi Arabia international Nasser Al-Shamrani scored ten goals in that competition but has only managed one goal this time around. Although Lekhwiya lack Al Hilal’s ACL history, their attacking play could cause the Saudi side problems, especially Tunisian international Youssef Msakni and Korean international Nam Tae-Hee. New manager Djamel Belmadi will be hoping for a successful start from his rein, having taken over from Michael Laudrup in the summer.
Naft Tehran vs Al-Ahli
This season is Naft Tehran’s debut season in the ACL and so far they have been scraping through, qualifying from the group stage on goal-difference before winning their first knock-out round game on away goals. However, previous form counts for little in these final stages of the competition. Naft Tehran will be hoping that fate is on their side for their match against UAE club Al Ahli, having knocked out the better known Saudi Arabian club of the same name in the previous round. Al-Ahli will be hoping that their better known foreign stars, including Brazilian international Everton Ribeiro, former Liverpool winger Oussama Assaidi, and former Benfica striker Lima, can all perform for them in this tie.
This season is Naft Tehran’s debut season in the ACL and so far they have been scraping through, qualifying from the group stage on goal-difference before winning their first knock-out round game on away goals. However, previous form counts for little in these final stages of the competition. Naft Tehran will be hoping that fate is on their side for their match against UAE club Al Ahli, having knocked out the better known Saudi Arabian club of the same name in the previous round. Al-Ahli will be hoping that their better known foreign stars, including Brazilian international Everton Ribeiro, former Liverpool winger Oussama Assaidi, and former Benfica striker Lima, can all perform for them in this tie.
By Steve Price