NEWS

[Kawasaki Frontale and Nagoya Grampus will face each other in the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League on September 23 and 30, it was announced at the draw at AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
Kawasaki, under the guidance of Takashi Sekizuka, advanced to the quarterfinals for the second time after edging defending champions Gamba Osaka in the one-off Round of 16 last Wednesday in Osaka. Frontale were also quarterfinalists in 2007.]
Meanwhile, Nagoya reached the last eight in their first ACL campaign by beating Suwon Bluewings of Korea Republic in the Round of 16. Dragan Stojkovic’s side were also unbeaten in the group stage.
“My first thought was, ‘Not another Japanese side!’ ” said Sekizuka. “But whoever we face, we have to focus on winning one game at a time in order to climb to the top of Asia.”
Kawasaki striker Jong Tae Se commented, “In a way it’s good as we don’t have to travel too far. I don’t have any negative feelings about facing Nagoya.”
The North Korea international added: “This is an international competition and I think I know how hard it is to win in an international game and also know the weight one goal has in such a tie. We want to prepare well for this game and win it with the help of our supporters.”
Nagoya boss Stojkovic, meanwhile, is expecting a tough battle with their J. League counterparts.
“It’s going to be a very tough tie as both of us always compete hard against each other in the J. League,” the former Yugoslavia international said. “But this will be a new experience for our players and our club and it’s going to be a wonderful challenge for us.”
“We’d like to keep our style of football and aim for the top of Asia with a determined never-say-die spirit.”
Japan goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki of Nagoya said he would have preferred to have met Kawasaki in the final.
“It’s a pity to meet them in the quarterfinals as I was hoping to play them in the final at the National Stadium. But playing against a Japanese team in the ACL I think is an honor and quite significant. We’ll go all out to become Asian champions.”
JFA President Motoaki Inukai also expressed his disappointment at having an all-Japanese encounter at this stage of the tournament.
“This is the outcome of the draw, so it cannot be helped,” Inukai said. “But I wanted to see two J. League teams in the final.”
“Now I hope that either Nagoya or Kawasaki can move on to the final and celebrate there. I am expecting to see another J. League club at the FIFA Club World Cup this year.”
Japanese clubs have won the last two tournaments: Urawa Reds were champions in 2007 followed by Gamba Osaka last year. Kawasaki and Nagoya have never won the trophy.
In September’s quarterfinals, Kawasaki will host Nagoya in the first leg, but they won’t be able to play at their regular home ground of Todoroki, as an athletics meet is being held there on that day. The first-leg venue will be announced later.
The winners of the all-Japan quarterfinal will meet either Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan or two-time ACL winners Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia in the semifinals in October.
In the other quarterfinal encounters, K-League side FC Seoul, who beat J. League champions Kashima Antlers on penalties in the previous round, will meet Umm Salal of Qatar, while Uzbekistan league champions Bunyodkor will play another K-League side, Pohang Steelers.
The semifinals are slated for October 21 and 28, with the one-off final scheduled for November 7 at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

Quarterfinal draw
(Matches to be played on September 23/24 & 30)
QF 1, Umm Salal (Qatar) vs. FC Seoul (Korea Republic)
QF 2, Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) vs. Nagoya Grampus (Japan)
QF 3, Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan) vs. Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia)
QF 4, Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) vs. Pohang Steelers (Korea Republic)
Note: Teams listed first will play the first leg at home.

Semifinals
(October 21 & 28)
QF 2 winners vs. QF 3 winners
QF 1 winners vs. QF 4 winners

Final
(November 7 at National Stadium, Tokyo)
Semifinal winners