Asian Champions League Semi Finals
Paul Williams
FC Seoul go into Wednesday night's AFC Champions League semi final second leg against Jeonbuk Hyundai hoping for a miracle as they look to overturn a 1-4 loss from the first leg in Jeonju three weeks ago.
On that occasion a first half blitz from Jeonbuk steamrolled FC Seoul, with the visitors heading into half time already facing a 0-3 deficit. Damage was limited in the second half, and a goal from Ju Se-jong in the first minute of the second half gave them some consolation in the form of an away goal.
Jeonbuk's superiority over FC Seoul has been well established over the last 16 months, with FC Seoul winning only one of their last 10 matches against the mighty green machine.
FC Seoul v Jeonbuk Hyundai
FC SeoulBut the two sides come into this match with differing fortunes.
Jeonbuk appeared to be cruising to back-to-back K-League Classic titles before being handed a nine-point ban for match fixing. Suddenly their 15 point lead was reduced to just six, and in the last month they've won just one of their last six and are now equal on points with FC Seoul.
The capital outfit on the other hand have won their last three league matches, and have lost only one of their last six matches in all competitions - the 1-4 loss to Jeonbuk.
Suddenly the scenario for Jeonbuk doesn't look so straight forward. Their K League title is in doubt and they have to face a rampaging FC Seoul in the South Korean capital on Wednesday night, who are desperate to inflict more pain on their rivals.
FC Seoul are certainly more than capable of overturning the three-goal deficit, having scored 25 goals in this campaign at an average of 2.3 per game. In five of their eleven games they scored three goals or more. Any team with Adriano, Dejan Damjanovic, Park Chu-young and Yun Il-lok is capable of scoring and scoring heavily.
Doing so against Jeonbuk will be a tougher feat, however.
The 2006 AFC Champions League winners have conceded just 12 times this campaign (only Al Ain have a better record), and have the best defence in the K League Classic. FC Seoul haven't scored more than twice against Jeonbuk since 2013.
But the mindset of both teams will be a key factor. Jeonbuk are in a rut after having the carpet pulled from underneath them. Suddenly they're vulnerable, a feeling they haven't had for many months.
Can they pick themselves out of the hole? How will they respond if FC Seoul scores an early goal? Real tests for Jeonbuk have been few and far between in recent times, and when tested they've stepped up when they've needed to. Despite coming in on the back foot, it's hard to see this champion team not rising to the challenge once more.
Al Ain v El Jaish
In West Asia Al Ain, like Jeonbuk, look to be in a comfortable position, holding a 3-1 lead as they head to Doha to take on El Jaish tonight.
As strong as their defence has been in the ACL this year, conceding only 8 goals, they have conceded eight in their last four matches in all competitions. They'll need Ismail Ahmed and Mohanad Salem to tighten things up at the back to ensure they don't give El Jaish a sniff, especially with the talented Uzbekistan striker Sardor Rashidov up front.
Up front is where Al Ain also possesses the biggest danger for El Jaish, with Omar Abdulrahman the architect of an attack that also features former J.League stars Caio and Douglas. All three were on the score sheet three weeks ago in the first leg.
It's tough to see anything other than an Al Ain win and a likely meeting with Jeonbuk in the final, a match up that would see the champions from 2003 up against the champions of 2006.
With both teams desperate to add to their solitary continental title, it's a mouth-watering prospect.
Seoul GirlsCopyright: Paul Williams & Soccerphile.com
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