Friday, March 29, 2024

Wanderers eagerly awaiting clash with old foes

SoccerNews in General Soccer News 11 Dec 2014

69 Views

Reigning champions Western Sydney Wanderers are looking forward to renewing rivalries with Guangzhou Evergrande in the AFC Champions League.

Wanderers became the first Australian side to lift the trophy when they defeated Al Hilal 1-0 on aggregate in the final last month.

Having defeated 2013 champions Evergrande on away goals at the quarter-final stage, the A-League outfit were paired with the CSL side in Thursday’s draw.

The two clubs will compete in Group H, along with the third-placed side in Japan’s J.League and whe winner of play-off one (east).

Wanderers representative Christian Layland is expecting another closely fought encounter when the two sides meet again, after their last-eight clash back in August ended 2-2 on aggregate.

“We had a great battle with Guangzhou last year, a big match in Parramatta Stadium and an exciting one in China and we look forward to continuing what could become a very healthy Asian rivalry between the two clubs,” he said.

“Although we dealt with all the logistics of travelling around Asia very well last year, with experience you get a little bit better, so we’ll certainly draw from everything we learnt from last time and put that into place in this year’s competition.

“We have a very high standard of expectation within the club. We set those standards high last year, we expected to do well last year and wanted to be champions. And this year is no different: we want to repeat that performance.”

Last year’s beaten finalists Al Hilal were put into Group C, along with Foolad Khuzestan, Lokomotiv and the winner of play-off four (west).

Draw in full:

Group A: Nassr, Lekhwiya, Persepolis, winner of play-off three (west).

Group B: Pakhtakor, Al Shabab, Al Ain, winner of play-off two (west).

Group C: Foolad Khuzestan, Lokomotiv, Al Hilal, winner of play-off four (west).

Group D: Al Ahli, Tractorsazi Tabriz, Nasaf, winner of play-off one (west).

Group E: Jeonbuk Motors, Shandong Luneng, Binh Duong, winner of play-off two (east).

Group F: Gamba Osaka, Seongnam, Buriram United, winner of play-off three (east).

Group G: Brisbane Roar, Japan’s second-placed team, Suwon Bluewings, winner of play-off four (east).

Group H: Guangzhou Evergrande, Western Sydney Wanderers, Japan’s third-placed team, winner of play-off one (east).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SoccerNews

Soccernews.com is news blog for soccer with comprehensive coverage of all the major leagues in Europe, as well as MLS in the United States. In addition we offer breaking news for transfers and transfer rumors, ticket sales, betting tips and offers, match previews, and in-depth editorials.

You can follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/soccernews.com or Twitter: @soccernewsfeed.

SHARE OR COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

WE RECOMMEND

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This field is required *

Join the conversation!

or Register

Live Scores

advertisement

Betting Guide Advertisement

advertisement

Become a Writer
More More
Top