Hope we get Shenhua.
Hope we get Shenhua.
Pretty sure the AFC would put a stop to this. The fine alone would probably be enough to bankrupt the club if the size of the fine for not supplying a lobster buffet is any indication.
There’s usually at least an illegal stream on YouTube. Not sure if anyone else will bother.
Sydney news release says 7.30 AEDT via YouTube
Surely we are overdue an easier group! Last year’s draw was disastrous
2018 was worse. We got both of the semi finalists from East side, one of whom won the whole thing.
I want a South East Asian team. Would be nice for a change
Isnt it normally done so each east group has a Chinese, Japanese, Korean and one Aussie/South East Asian side? So only way we’d get a South East Asian side would be if they won through a qualifier
Yep, teams from the same country are kept apart. Because 4th placed Korea/Japan/China teams are guaranteed home fixtures in the play-off rounds in such a geographically massive region, and there are only four groups, it effectively guarantees that each group will have one each from Korea, China and Japan.
If AFC cared about developing football in Asia and they would scrap the second and third playoff rounds, and have 16 groups of 3 instead of 8 groups of 4.
16 groups of 3 plus a single-leg Round-of-32 is exactly the same number of matches as the two eliminated qualifying rounds plus 8 groups of 4, so there is no added cost.
You would get a far greater diversity of fixtures, more teams in the competition proper, double the number of countries involved in the group stage year-in year-out (from 10 to 20), and fewer farcical dead-rubbers.
But pretty much the whole structure of this competition is implemented to guarantee that a certain country in West Asia, which also has an excessive hold on AFC politically, can maximise it’s vanity through football.
Yeah, pretty sure that both Australian teams are in pot 4 with the other South East Asian nations.
Given the recent performances there’s no reason why we (Australian teams) shouldn’t be there.
West Region is being drawn first.
Group E
Beijing
PO1 winner
PO4 winner
Chiangrai Utd
Group F
Ulsan Hyundai
Shanghai Shenhua
PO3 winner
Perth Glory
Group G
Suwon Bluewings
Guangzhou
Japan 2nd Club
Johor DT
Group H
Jeonbuk Motors
PO2 winner
Yokohama F-Marinos
Sydney FC
We’re getting arse blasted (for real).
Group H it is.
Amazing.
Let’s remind Ange why he left this country.
So we drew the top K-League and J-League team… at least we know what we’re up against.
This must be rigged, how do we keep landing in the same group as the two strongest teams every ACL campaign
Mack?
So another year where we don’t get through.
Lol.
ange.