Melbourne Victory vs Daegu FC: Asian Champions League live scores, blog

The Asian Champions League begins on Tuesday evening for the Melbourne Victory, as they look to make a significant impact on the competition for the first time. They host Daegu FC of South Korea to get the ball rolling, and you can join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:30pm (AEDT).

With Daegu and the Japanese qualifiers Hiroshima in their group alongside Chinese outfit Guangzhou Evergrande, the Victory will be confident of escaping the group stage – something they have never done before.

The Victory have had a strong A-League campaign to date, and currently sit in third spot on the domestic table.

In saying that, their form over the last few weeks has been a little bit sketchy, and they – their defence in particular – will need to be better against some strong weapons brought down under by Daegu.

They come into the match having two points from their last four games, with losses against the Perth Glory and Newcastle Jets hampering the sides charge. Where they formerly looked to be in a secure top two position, they have now lost that grip.

They have had a few injuries, but they need to be better in winning possession out of midfield today, and that starts with players like Keisuke Honda and Terry Antonis doing a job, then setting up for Ola Toivonen and Kosta Barbarouses in the final third.

Daegu, on the other hand, have only just started their K-League season at home, drawing their first game against Jeonbuk.

Before that, their last competitive match was taking victory against Ulasn Hyundai in the Korean FA Cup final across two legs.

That was a strong performance, but they hit the ground running in Australia without a great deal of match practice. Putting them into conditions which will be considered very different to their local, it’ll be a real challenge for them to stay with Victory over the 90 minutes, fitness-wise. A strong start is critical.

Like the Victory, they possess some real weapons in the final third, with Brazilian Cesinha appearing the key if they are to win this match. He is likely to be joined up front by Edgar Bruno da Silva, who has plenty of experience and will challenge a strong Victory defensive line.

Prediction
The Victory are at home, and if they are going to go anywhere in this ACL campaign, then a win here is absolutely pivotal. I expect them to get the job done in a tense affair against the South Korean outfit.

Victory 2 – Daegu 1.

Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this ACL opener from 7:30pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.

Game information

Kick-off: 7:30pm (AEDT)
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
TV: Live, Fox Sports
Online: Live, Foxtel app, Foxtel now, Kayo Sports
Betting: Victory $2.20, Daegu $2.88
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)

Melbourne Victory (squad)
21. Carl Valeri (c), 1. Matthew Acton (GK), 20. Lawrence Thomas (GK), 30. Matthew Sutton (GK), 2. Storm Roux, 3. Corey Brown, 4. Keisuke Honda, 6. Leigh Broxham, 7. Kenny Athiu, 8. Terry Antonis, 9. Kosta Barbarouses, 10. James Troisi, 11. Ola Toivonen, 13. Birkan Kirdar, 14. Thomas Deng, 15. Raul Baena, 16. Josh Hope, 17. James Donachie, 19. Rahmat Akbari, 23. Jai Ingham, 24. Elvis Kamsoba, 25. Anthony Lesiotis, 27. Aaron Anderson, 28. Benjamin Carrigan, 29. Thiel Iradukunda, 31. Brandon Lauton, 32. Jack Palazzolo, 33. Yazid Said

Daegu FC (squad)
11. Cesinha (c), 1. Choi Young-eun (GK), 21. Jo Hyeon-woo (GK), 31. Lee Hyeon-woo (GK), 3. Kim Woo-seok, 4. Jeong Tae-wook, 5. Hong Jeong-woon, 6. Han Hee-hoon, 7. Dario Junio, 8. Jung Seon-ho, 9. Edgar Bruno da Silva, 13. Song Gi-woong, 14. Kim Dae-won, 15. Lim Jae-hyeok, 16. Gang Yoon-goo, 17. Kim Joon-yub 18. Jung Seung-won, 19. Jung Young-woong, 20. Hwang Soon-min, 21. Jo Hyeon woo, 22. Jeong Woo-jae, 23. Ye Byeong-won, 25. Lee Joon-hee, 26. Ko Jae-hyeon, 27. Park Min-seo, 29. Ryu Jae-moon, 30. Kim Jin-hyuk, 36. Park Han-bin, 44. Tsubasa Nishi, 77. Jeon Hyeon-chul

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Scott Pryde

Expert

Scott has penned over 3000 articles and is one of The Roar's longest-serving writers, covering a wide range of sports. When he isn't writing about sport, you'll find him umpiring at the cricket, or on the hill at Kogarah supporting the Dragons.