The possibility may come to fruition if J-League side Gamba Osaka can win the AFC Champions League, a result that would bump this season’s J-League winners out of the playoff picture and open a door for one of either Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal or UAE’s Al-Ahli to step through.
Gamba must first overcome monied Chinese outfit Guangzhou Evergrande in their two legged semifinal this month, then beat their final opponents over two legs in November, to set up a potential rematch between Auckland City FC and Al-Ahli who met in 2009 when the Navy Blues won 2-0 in Abu Dhabi.
With the J-League winner unlikely to be decided until just prior to the Club World Cup, there is a lot for Auckland City FC coach Ramon Tribulietx to ponder, including a potential quarter-final with the as yet to be decided champions of Africa.
The South American champions, Argentina’s River Plate, await in the semi-finals, reproducing the same competition pathway as the Navy Blues faced in Morocco last year.
Elsewhere in the draw, Club America of Mexico face the winner of the AFC Champions League in the other Osaka quarter-final with the winner advancing to a mouthwatering semifinal showdown with Barcelona in Yokohama.
Tribulietx’s assessment of the task ahead remains pragmatic.
“Any team at this level will be a very difficult challenge for us. The style of football played by Middle Eastern teams is different to what we see from J-League sides.
“I watched Al-Hilal when they finished runners-up in the AFC Champions League last season and I thought they were a very good team on the ball, with a lot of technical players, pace up front, great mobility around the ball and they would be a difficult team to face.
“I know a bit less about Al Ahli, but they will have changed from the team we played six years ago. When the AFC Champions League picture becomes clearer, we’ll focus our energies on specific preparations,” he said.
The 43-year-old coach has kept a close eye on developments in the J-League with the competition undergoing a structural overhaul that has divided the season into three sections.
But Tribulietx says there are characteristics in Japan’s style of football that can be counted upon to feature consistently.
“Any Japanese team will be a very good side and the standard of football of the J-League is always very high. Most teams are technically very good on the ball and very quick, they are difficult teams to play and it will be a difficult challenge for us regardless of who we play.
“We are watching some Japanese football on a regular basis to get a feeling for their style of football but without getting into too much detail about specifics just yet.
“Once a shortlist of opponents becomes clearer we will start following teams more closely and make sure we collect enough footage of each potential opponent so we have at least a general idea of everyone we may face.
“The J-League structure changed this season so we may have a lot of work in front of us just prior to leaving for Japan,” he said.
The last time a New Zealand side faced an AFC Champions League runner-up at the FIFA Club World Cup was in December 2008 when Waitakere United narrowly lost to Hyundai A-League outfit Adelaide United by 2-1.
That came about after Gamba Osaka won the AFC Champions League by beating the Australian side 5-0 on aggregate in the final leaving Adelaide United as qualifiers.
J-League winners Kashima Antlers were the team to miss out as a result of Gamba’s victory.
Auckland City FC kicks off its FIFA Club World Cup campaign on 10 December in Yokohama.
Story courtesy of Auckland City FC
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