The AFC Champions League 2014 will have the final section on 22nd and 23rd April. As top two teams of each group can advance to the next round of 16, only Pohang Steelers (Korea Republic) of the group E have clinched the spot so far out of four East Asian groups. In three groups out of the four, all four teams in each group still have possibility to advance, and four clubs from Japan are no exceptions.

Kawasaki aiming for first R16 in 5 years.

Kawasaki Frontale with 9 points now are placed on second in the group H. Even a draw will give them the first advancement since 2009. Ulsan Hyundai (Korea Republic), trailing Kawasaki by 2 points, will be in town on 22nd. Although they were the 2012 champion, Ulsan lost to Western Sydney Wanderers (Australia) 0-2 at home in the last match for their second straight loss. Including other regular season games, they have not won any of last six with four losses and two draws. Kawasaki’s Igawa Yusuke will miss the match due to suspension, but FW Kobayashi Yu has come back from his injury. Despite a loss to Urawa in the J-league match last weekend, Kawasaki’s aggressive quick-passing style is still alive, as they hope to carry good momentum from last two straight wins in the ACL.  

Yokohama F Marinos will visit china and take on the defending champion, Guangzhou Evergrande (China PR). The group G is still so unpredictable with all teams are tied with 7 points. Yokohama is now fourth in the standing, but winning the next match can take them to the next stage. Guanzhou has lost two straight on the road, and will miss DF Liao Lisheng for the next due to suspension. The team led by HC Marcello Lippi, however, has played very well on the home pitch recording 6-1 including 4 straight wins in the domestic league. Gao Lin especially is dangerous for Kawasaki since he has scored three goals in the last two matches. Saito Manabu of Yokohama is as hot, netting two goals in the last match, but it will certainly be a test for Yokoyama’s defence.

C Osaka play deciding away game

The group E’s third-placed Cerezo Osaka will challenge Shandong Luneng (China) on Shandong’ home turf. Not only the win but also the draw will position Cerezo in the knock-out stage if the other match in the group ends with another draw. But Cerezo has not won an official match in the last six try including the loss against Pohang at home. To make it worse for them, FW Minamino Takumi will be suspended due to the ejection in the last match while HC Ranko Popovic will not be allowed to sit on the bench. Cerezo’s strikers are expected to perform well to overcome the tough situation. Shandong is also in the middle of their two-game losing streak in the AFC, but has made the second place in the domestic league with on-going winning streak. FW Vagner Love has played well in recent matches, scoring four goals in the last two league games as well as four total goals so far in this year’s AFC Championship. 

The J-League’s defending champion, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, will play against Central Coast Mariners (Australia). The group F currently has FC Seoul leading the group with 8 points as the rest of the teams is also within striking distance all with 6. Hiroshima, at close fourth, can clinch the spot in the next round for the first time in its club history. Mariners just finished its Australian league season third in the standing and are looking forward to the playoff. As for the AFC Championship, however, recent matches have not been easy for them. They lost to FC Seoul in the last match at home and have not had much success on the road, either. Meanwhile Hiroshima has not lost in the last seven official matches including two consecutive hard-fought draws on the road. FW Mizumoto Hiroki will come back from suspension while MF Kashiwa Yoshifumi and FW Ishihara Naoki have kept up their good performance as of late. 

Don’t miss all the big matches J-league clubs will soon play!