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Asian Champions League 2005

John Duerden reports on the Asian Champions League

Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F | Group G

The third Asian Champions League is about to kick-off. Twenty-eight teams from fourteen different countries will be doing their utmost to win the competition that was formerly known as the Asian Club Championship.

The fourteen countries taking part are:

Japan
South Korea,
China
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Iran
Iraq
Syria
Qatar
UAE
Uzbekistan
Indonesia
Thailand
Vietnam.

These teams have been designated as 'mature football nations' by the Asian Football Federation and Syria have been promoted to the 'Premier League' of Asia for the first time.

Going the other way was Bahrain, whose two 2004 representatives weren't able to finish their group games for various reasons. The Gulf state now joins the ranks of 'developing' or 'emerging nations' who have their own tournament.

Group A

Pas (Iran)
Al-Shurta (Iraq)
Al-Salmiya (Kuwait)
Al-Rayyad (Qatar)

The Iranian champions, Pas have not had the best of times trying to defend their third title domestically and may welcome the continental distraction, especially if they can repeat the success of 1992 when they lifted the Asian Club Championship. The Teheran side won't have to travel far and will fancy their chances against Iraqi police oufit Al-Shurta.

Kuwaiti powerhouse, Al-Salmiya, have struggled domestically since losing the 2004 title-winning play-off and they, like their rivals will be wary of Qatar's Al-Rayyad and their Brazilian striker Sonny Anderson.

Group B

The 2003 Asian Champions, Al Ain, fell to Chonbuk Motors of Korea in their attempt to defend their title last season. To reach the same stage this year the UAE team will have to finish above the 2003 Iranian champions, Sepahan. Such a feat shouldn't be too difficult as the Persians sit near the bottom of the Iranian league.

However, as Saudi side Al Ittihad succeeded Al Ain, the 2003 winners will know not to underestimate Ittihad's fellow Saudis, 1992 Asian Club Championship runners-up, Al-Shabab. Al-Wahda will be happy to be Syria's first champions league representatives and the road to Damascus shouldn't pose too many problems for visitors.

Group C

Al-Alhi may not have won their domestic title since 1980 but with Asian Player of the Year 2004, Iran star winger Ali Karimi in the line-up, they are always going to cause problems. New coach Winfried Schaefer needs to iron out the team's inconsistency.

The former coach of Cameroon will know all about the most successful team in Saudi Arabian history. Al-Sadd have won the Qatari title ten times and tasted success in the Asian Club Championship in 1988 and will fight it out for top spot with the UAE giants.

Al-Kuwait and Netchi Fargona from Kuwait and Uzbekistan respectively, have both enjoyed domestic success in the past but the middle-easterners glory days are thirty years ago, rather than ten. However, both will be battling it out to see who doesn't get the wooden spoon.

Group D

Al Zawra (Iraq)
Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan)
Al Alhi Saudi (Arabia)
Al Jaish (Syria)

The Baghdad giants, Al Zawra may have won the Iraqi title ten times but they will struggle to dispose of wily Asian Champions League campaigners, Pakhtator. The team from Tashkent have fallen at the semi-final stage in the past two competitions and the players, many of whom make up the Uzbeki national team, will be desperate to go further in 2005.

The Saudi Arabian Al-Alhi doesn't have the pedigree of the UAE version despite reaching the final in 1985, and, along with the competition's second representative from Damascus, will have to sit and watch the other two battle it out for a quarter-final position.

Group E

Suwon Bluewings (South Korea)
Shenzhen Jianlibao (China)
Jubilo Iwata (Japan)
Hoang Anh Gia (Vietnam)

The champions of China and Korea find themselves pitted against each other in Group E. K-League winners; Suwon Samsung Bluewings won the Asian Club Championship in 2000 and 2001 and will be the team to beat in the group. That includes two-time Japanese champs, Jubilo Iwata.

The Chinese winners, Shenzhen Jianlibao, have a few problems off the pitch and on it are a level below their East Asian neighbours and the only route to qualification will be if the other two take their eyes off the ball.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai is the unfortunate Vietnamese outfit that finds itself in the role of cannon fodder in this Group of Death.

Group F

Yokohama F.Marinos (Japan)
Shandong Luneng (China)
BEC Tero Sasana (Thailand)
PSM Makassar (Indonesia)

Group F sees another Chinese-Japanese match-up with J-League titans and champions Yokohama F.Marinos facing the 2004 Chinese Super League runners-up, Shandong Luneng. If the three-time Japanese champions decides to field its strongest team then Luneng will be left to battle for second place with BEC Tero Sasana.

Unlike the Chinese outfit, the Bangkok boys have a number of domestic titles under their belt and reached the champions league final in 2004, where they lost to Al Ain.

PSM's greatest achievement in the 2005 Asian Champions League could be finding the time to squeeze the six games into Indonesia's marathon season. The team from Makassar will have to be grateful that six will be the maximum number.

Group G

Busan I'Park (Korea)
Krung Thai Bank (Thailand)
Binh Dinh (Vietnam)
Persebaya (Indonesia)

Busan I'Park tasted continental success back in 1985, under the guise of Daewoo Royals, lifting the Asian Club Championship. The 2004 Korean FA Cup winners don't have the class of their predecessors and will be happy to find themselves in a group with three south-east Asian teams.

However, Busan's coach, Ian Porterfield will be wise not to underestimate his opponents, especially Krung Thai Bank. The Thai title trophy has resided in Krung's Bangkok stadium for the past two years and last year's champions league saw a creditable second place finish.

A trip to Surabaya to face Indonesian champions, Persebaya will be a tough one but the journey to Vietnam to meet Binh Dinh tends to have a more fruitful outcome.

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