ACL 2011

[blahblah]

For those who haven't been keeping up, the ACL play-offs are in action and already with Al Sadd (QAT) spanking Al Ittihad (SYR) 5:1 and Sriwijaya (IDN) defeating Muang Thong United (THA) in a penalty shootout. They go on to play Dempo (IND) and Al Ain (UAE) respectively.

The group stage kicks off 1st of March and the groups are:

Group A
AL GHARAFA (QAT)
AL HILAL (KSA)
AL JAZIRA (UAE)
FOOLAD MOBAREKEH SEPAHAN (IRN)
The Al-Hilal Sepahan match-up is the one to watch here

Group B
AL NASSR (KSA)
ESTEGHLAL (IRN)
PAKHTAKOR (UZB)
Al Sadd (QAT)/Dempo (IND)
A very tough group with Al Nassr in particular having something to prove. Pakhtakor are very experienced campaigners and Esteghlal's run last year means this will be very much a group to watch.

Group C
AL ITTIHAD (KSA)
AL WAHDA (UAE)
BUNYODKOR (UZB)
PIROOZI ATHLETIC (IRN)
Al Ittihad were very poor last year and Bunyodkor also failed to live up to their billing. Piroozi could sneak through here if either of the latter have the jitters. Al Wahda were a banana-skin team last year and I expect more of the same.

Group D
AL RAYYAN (QAT)
AL SHABAB (KSA)
EMIRATES (UAE)
ZOBAHAN (IRN)
Zobahan should continue their run here and I can't see much here to worry them. To be honest I know very little about Emirates and Al Shabab can run hot or cold.

Group E
GAMBA OSAKA (JPN)
JEJU UNITED (KOR)
MELBOURNE VICTORY (AUS)
TIANJIN TEDA (CHN)
An interesting group this as I believe Victory may be a chance to get out of this group if they can get a point in Korea. There's something about Jeju that makes me think they may find the continental show piece hard work.

Group F
FC SEOUL (KOR)
HANGZHOU GREENTOWN (CHN)
NAGOYA GRAMPUS (JPN)
SRIWIJAYA (IDN)/ AL AIN (UAE)
It's hard not to see Nagoya and Seoul emerging from this group. The Djeparov - Kennedy shootout could be a fun one to watch.


Group G
AREMA MALANG (IDN)
CEREZO OSAKA (JPN)
JEONBUK HYUNDAI MOTORS (KOR)
SHANDONG LUNENG FC (CHN)
A big move for Cerezo Osaka who were playing J2 in 2009 and who love to play in pink. Shandong may be looking to upset the new kids on the block whereas Jeonbuk should cruise through. The first Shandong-Cerezo clash may well decide this group.

Group H
KASHIMA ANTLERS (JPN)
SHANGHAI SHENHUA (CHN)
SUWON SAMSUNG BLUEWINGS (KOR)
SYDNEY FC (AUS)
Probably the most even group in the tournament and I think Sydney will be struggling here with no easy games on the cards. Shanghai can get results on the road and Kashima are, well, Kashima. They've never quite gelled in the ACL but at the same they are, well, Kashima.

In all another exciting session of Asian club football awaits.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the ACL is where we belong; let's get back there.

[Steelinho]

Cerezo v Jeonbuk is ridiculously mouth-watering. Can't wait for that clash; wish I could actually go to one of those legs.

I would've suggested Victory to finish third to Gamba and Jeju, but with "Asian Cup hero" Koo Ja-Cheol having now gone to Wolfsburg, there's every chance Jeju'll struggle and it could very well come down to their games against Victory as being the deciders. The signing of Shin Young-Rok might give them a boost and slight advantage, but he's absolutely no replacement for Koo JC.

Sydney are kind of coming good of late, could get a home win against Shanghai Shenhua and perhaps a score draw at home to Suwon, but to hope for anything more might be pushing their luck.

[blahblah]

Al Nassr have picked up the Kuwaiti goal machine Bader Al-Mutwa on loan from Al-Qadisaya (KUW) however I also read he went on a trial with Malaga so I'm not sure what will eventuate.

Interestingly Al-Qadisaya have a defender on loan to Al-Shabab, Musaed Neda, who has been on loan to different clubs from Al-Qadisaya since 2004. At what point does control of the player enter the ludicrous stage?

[blahblah]

Al Ain and Al Sadd are through

[shinAUFC]

Every acl that australia has been involved in i have been behind every aleague team to win .

This year i just cant support victory, kind of hope they fall apart. But then that doesnot really represent our league well grr.

Go sydney! Au just cant be expected to make the aleague seem around the mark every year someone else needs to step it up

[Agostinho]

^^ I'm the exact opposite! I want every other Australian team to fail, and fail miserably. I want our Asian achievements to far outweigh every other A-League team.

If Sydney and Melbourne both fail to get out of their groups I'll be stoked.

[Steelinho]

^^ I'm the exact opposite! I want every other Australian team to fail, and fail miserably. I want our Asian achievements to far outweigh every other A-League team.

If Sydney and Melbourne both fail to get out of their groups I'll be stoked.

Same. I'd much rather Adelaide be the one club that everyone in Asia knows and is worried to face. Having experienced first-hand meeting people across Asia who, when I tell them I'm from Adelaide, instantly start talking about Adelaide United.
The only time I've met someone who's heard of Sydney FC was because they'd travelled to Sydney with Urawa in 2007 for that Champions League group stage match. And I can't recall anyone who really knows about Melbourne Victory (let's keep it that way).


As another example, Adrian and I were absolutely stoked that Manchester United were drawn Marseille in the Champions League over, say, Olympique Lyon. Marseille had won the Ligue 1 title to qualify (6 points clear of Lyon), but that didn't matter, because they weren't Lyon.

Would you prefer that we were considered a Marseille in Asia, or a threat like Lyon, regardless of how we qualify?

[shinAUFC]

well TBH im a little column A and a little column B lol.

Its just not ACL without the reds anyway BOO

[Stuckey]

Having experienced first-hand meeting people across Asia who, when I tell them I'm from Adelaide, instantly start talking about Adelaide United.

I knew this would start happening and something i can't understand is why more business leaders and local governments doesn't get behind AU more to boost Adelaide's exposure to Asia!

The current owners now have such a huge opportunity if we qualify to go to Japan, Korea and China and meet other business leaders and local governments to talk business with so much of the ice already broken by the fact we have some common ground.
Now obviously not very business leader in Asia is football mad but it is still much better then investing our money in an AFL or NRL club!

[Steelinho]

There might be more of an aggressive sponsorship campaign if we make it to the Champions League in the next couple of years, rather than Study Adelaide being the default/only option.

Not that Study Adelaide's a bad thing to have on the shirt; foreign students, wahey!

[ZANZIBAR]

i just hope Melbourne don't embaress us again with pathetic on field and off field performances

[Steelinho]

Off the field, for them, was their biggest problem last season.

For all the claims from Merrick of various people "putting the game in disrepute," people within his own club (particularly himself and Kevin Muscat) did not help bring positive views on Australian football from overseas, nor from people within Australia (noted by the tiny crowds AND the media jumping all about after Muscat's comments that playing in Asia is worthless).

If they don't shape up this time with their attitude towards the tournament, I'd prefer the FFA takes some form of action.

[davidbloop]

i dont mind if Sydney do Ok as long as they don't reach the GF.


I just hope Victory fail at everything they ever attempt

[ZANZIBAR]

i dont mind if Sydney do Ok as long as they don't reach the GF.


I just hope Victory fail at everything they ever attempt

+1
i hope Sydney get through the group stage and Melbourne fail, their supporters will find a way to blame the FFA though even though they don't have finals to worry about.

[ZANZIBAR]

well Melbourne are going as expected, 3 nil down after 10 minutes, hahahaha, what a joke of a club