Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Eight teams will be competing in the AFC Champions League Play-offs (East) on Tuesday with a highly sought after place in the competition’s Group Stage on offer for the winners of the four games.
Central Coast Mariners v Guangzhou R&F
Winners to go in Group F along with Gamba Osaka, Seongnam FC and Buriram
Central Coast will be looking to appear in the AFC Champions League Group Stage for a fourth season in a row when they face Guangzhou on Tuesday. They reached the Round of 16 in 2013 but went out at the Group Stage for the third time in four appearances in 2014. They are currently eighth in the A-League having only amassed 17 points from 15 matches, the most recent of which was a 2-0 defeat to Brisbane Roar on Friday.
How they qualified: A-League Premiership third place
Past ACLs: 2009 – Group Stage; 2012 – Group Stage; 2013 – Round of 16; 2014 – Group Stage
Guangzhou R&F earned a place in the AFC Champions League Play-offs for the first time after finishing third in the Chinese Super League in 2014. It was the highest-ever league placing for the club which moved to Guangzhou from Shenzhen in 2011. Goals from Jiang Zhipeng, Jang Hyun-soo and Zhang Shuo helped them overcome Singapore’s Warriors FC 3-0 in the Preliminary Round on February 10 to set up their encounter with Central Coast. The 2015 Chinese Super league season will only start in March.
How they qualified: Chinese Super League third place
No previous AFC Champions League appearances
Kashiwa Reysol v Chonburi
Winners to go in Group E along with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Shandong Luneng and Binh Duong
Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol are attempting to compete in a third AFC Champions League Group Stage having finished fourth in the J.League last season to secure a Play-off spot. They reached the Round of 16 in the AFC Champions League’s 2012 edition, before being beaten 8-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals by eventual winners Guangzhou Evergrande a year later. Tatsuma Yoshida's charges are scheduled to begin their latest J.League campaign away to Kobe on March 7.
How they qualified: J.League fourth place
Past ACLS: 2012 – Round of 16; 2013 – Semi-Finals
Chonburi’s comprehensive 4-1 defeat of Hong Kong side Kitchee in the second Preliminary Round has left the Thai outfit seeking a third appearance in the Group Stage of the AFC Champions League. They were previously eliminated in the AFC Champions League Group Stage in 2008 and have also played in the AFC Cup three times, notably reaching the semi-finals in 2012. They won 3-1 at Saraburi in their opening game of the 2015 Thai Premier League on Friday, with Thiago Cunha, Kirati Keawsombut and Leandro Assumpcao all on target.
How they qualified: Thai Premier League runners-up
Past ACLs: 2008 – Group Stage; 2012 – Play-offs; 2014 – Play-offs
Beijing Guoan v Bangkok Glass
Winners to go in Group G along with Brisbane Roar, Urawa Red Diamonds and Suwon Samsung
Beijing Guoan earned their spot in the AFC Champions League Play-offs after finishing runners-up in the Chinese Super League in 2014. The capital club, who won the Chinese Super League title in 2009 and have finished in the top-three in eight of the past nine seasons, reached the AFC Champions League Round of 16 in 2010 and 2013. Their latest Chinese Super League campaign is scheduled to start on March 8 with an away fixture at newly promoted Chongqing Lifan.
How they qualified: Chinese Super League runners-up
Past ACLs: 2008 – Group Stage; 2009 – Group Stage; 2010 – Round of 16; 2012 – Group Stage; 2013 – Round of 16; 2014 – Group Stage
A 3-0 second Preliminary Round defeat of Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim sees Bangkok Glass travelling to the Chinese capital hoping to seal a fourth AFC Champions League Group Stage appearance. Bangkok finished a disappointing tenth in the Thai Premier League in 2014 but qualified for the AFC Champions League Play-offs after beating Chonburi 1-0 in the Thai FA Cup final. Formerly known as Krung Thai Bank, they have never gone past AFC Champions League Group Stage.
How they qualified: Thai FA Cup winners
Past ACLs: 2004 – Group Stage; 2005 – Group Stage; 2008 – Group Stage
FC Seoul v Hanoi T&T
Winners to go in Group H along with Guangzhou Evergrande, Western Sydney Wanderers and Kashima Antlers
FC Seoul will begin their latest AFC Champions League campaign against Hanoi on Tuesday looking to improve an already impressive record in the competition even further. They were beaten on away goals in the AFC Champions League Final in 2013 by Guangzhou Evergrande and reached the semi-finals in 2014 and the quarter-finals in both 2009 and 2011 . However, they had to settle for a spot in the Play-offs for 2015 after finishing a distant third in the K League Classic and losing to Seongnam in the FA Cup final.
How they qualified: K League fourth place
Past ACLs: 2009 – Quarter-Finals; 2011 – Quarter-Finals; 2013 – Runners-Up; 2014 – Semi-Finals
Hanoi T&T will take part in the AFC Champions League Play-offs for the second year in a row after finishing runners-up in the V.League in 2014. They sealed their clash with Seoul thanks to a comprehensive 4-0 victory against Indonesia’s Persib Bandung in the second Preliminary Round. In 2014, they beat India’s Pune FC in the first round of the Play-offs, but bowed out of the competition after a 2-0 defeat by Thailand’s Muangthong United in the second round. Hanoi are eighth in the V-League's latest edition, with their most recent game a 2-0 defeat away at Song Lamh Nghe An on February 6.
How they qualified: V-League runners-up
Past ACLs: 2014 – Play-offs
Photo: Central Coast Mariners