Two-time Asian champions Suwon Bluewings will be out for revenge on Wednesday as they host Chinese giants Shanghai Shenhua in one of a host of important AFC Champions League encounters.
Suwon, winners of the former Asian Club Championship in 2001 and 2002, Shanghai and J-League champions Kashima Antlers are all level on six points in Group G at the halfway mark of the group stage.
With Kashima favorites to defeat bottom-placed Singapore Armed Forces at home, having beaten them 4-1 in Singapore earlier this month, the K-League champions' second clash with Shanghai will have a huge bearing on the outcome of the three-horse race.
Cha Bum-kun's side beat Kashima 4-1 at home and SAF 2-0 away last month before losing 2-1 in Shanghai in front of 20,000 fans two weeks ago.
Vyacheslav Hleb was a key player as the Belarus international, younger brother of Barcelona star Alexander, crossed for Bulgarian defender Yanko Valkanov to score in the 18th minute and then scored the winner himself in the 74th minute after Suwon's Chinese defender Li Weifeng had headed an equalizer.
Shanghai lie second in the Chinese Super League (CSL) after beating Shenzhen Asia Travel 4-1 last Friday. Suwon, meanwhile, are struggling in the defence of their title and currently lie 12th in the 15-team K-League.
Group E is even tighter, with all four teams within two points of each other after three games. Beijing Guoan and Ulsan Hyundai are both on four points and play for the second time this month after the South Korean club defeated the Chinese giants 1-0 at home.
Beijing, the only undefeated team in this year's CSL with two wins and three draws, were cheered on by a crowd of 31,000 in their previous AFC Champions League home match, the opening 2-0 win against Australia's Newcastle Jets. The passionate Guoan fans will expect nothing less than another victory at the Workers' Stadium.
Newcastle, who have three points, will host Nagoya Grampus, who top the group with five points, in what promises to be a fascinating duel after a 1-1 draw in Japan two weeks ago.
Nagoya under performed in the first half and went behind to Tarek Elrich's early opener. The introduction of Japan international Keiji Tamada at half-time changed the complexion of the game and the striker rescued a point for the home side with a brilliant free- kick in the 65th minute.
Newcastle impressed in their previous home match, a 2-0 win over Ulsan, with a brace from new signing Sasho Petrovski.
In the west, Uzbek powerhouse Pakhtakor and Al Ittihad, Saudi Arabia's newly crowned champions, both have home matches as they bid to strengthen their positions at the top of Group A and Group C respectively.
Pakhtakor, who have seven points, host Saba Battery in Tashkentafter beating the Iranian side 2-0 in Tabriz two weeks ago with goals from Zaynitdin Tadjiyev and Farhod Tadjiyev. Pakhtakor are the only team to have competed in all seven editions of the AFC Champions League.
Al Hilal, the 2007-08 Saudi champions, play their return leg against Al Ahli in Dubai after beating the UAE side 2-1 in Riyadh. Hilal are on five points, Saba Battery have two and Ahli have one.
Al Ittihad host UAE's Al Jazira after the pair played out a scoreless draw in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago, the first point the Saudi giants had dropped in their campaign. Ittihad top Group C with seven points, five ahead of Jazira.
Umm Salal of Qatar are second on six points after beating Esteghlal 1-0 earlier this month, with Brazilian Fabio Cesar scoring the decider. Umm Salal now face a visit to the intimidating, 100,000-capacity Azadi Stadium, where Esteghlal will be desperate for a win after picking up only one point so far.
The top-placed team in each of the eight groups will enjoy home advantage against one of the second-placed sides in the one-leg round of 16.
(Xinhua News Agency April 22, 2009)
