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The Western Sydney Wanderers host Japanese club Sanfrecce Hiroshima at Pirtek Stadium tonight in the Asian Champions League round of 16. Join The Roar for live scores, commentary and a chance to have your own say from 7:30pm (AEST).
Sanfrecce is a formidable opponent, having won the last two J-League competitions. They were also the team that effectively ended the ACL hopes of the Central Coast Mariners by defeating them in the final round of the group stage.
Tonight presents them with their second chance to knock an Australian side out of the competition.
That is a quick turnaround from earlier rounds of the group stage where Australian fans were enjoying a fairly good record against teams from high profile Asian leagues.
This could be the final match of the Wanderers season and winning by at least two goals is the only way the home side could prevent that from being the case.
Sanfrecce won the first leg at home in the first part of the home/home series. Their 3-1 victory was comprehensive and apart from a brief period before the Wanderers earned a penalty for their lone goal they were by far the dominant side in the match.
The score line means the Wanderers must win 2-0 or by more than two goals if Sanfrecce score due to the away goals rule.
As a result of how the tie is balanced the Wanderers can be expected to come out and attack in a bid to come from behind and progress to the quarter finals.
Previous ACL matches have seen Coach Tony Popovic make a lot of changes to the side that regularly plays in the A-League. With a week off and some more rest without a game last weekend more first 11 players may turn out in this crucial fixture.
The Wanderers have been at their best when the central midfield is anchored by Iacopo LaRocca’s tireless work and the creativity of Shinji Ono further up the pitch. They will be very important players if the Wanderers are to both repel the visitor’s attacks and create good chances to score at the other end.
Don’t forget to log on here at 7.30pm for your live scores, commentary and a place to share your own opinion.
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