The second quarter-final at the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2007 reunites Sepahan and Urawa Red Diamonds at the Toyota Stadium, just a month after they locked horns in the Asian Champions League final. The Japanese team won on that occasion to lift the continental title, but the stakes will be very different this time around. The prize for the victor is none other than a mouth-watering semi-final showdown with European giants AC Milan.
The game
Sepahan vs. Urawa Red Diamonds, Monday 10 December,
19:30 (Toyota)
The stakes
Beaten in the Champions League final just a few
weeks back, the Iranians will no doubt be eager to exact their
revenge. But with a last-four berth against Milan on offer and the
support of the locals to spur them on, Urawa will hardly be lacking
in motivation themselves.
The players
Despite a few problems with minor illness in the
last few days, Sepahan go into the match with a full squad. Captain
Nobuhisa Yamada and Tatsuya Tanaka are doubts for their opponents,
on the other hand.
The past
The two teams came face to face in the AFC
Champions League final in November. After a 1-1 draw in the first
leg, in which Mahmoud Karimi cancelled out Robson Ponte's
opener, Yuichiro Nagai and Yuki Abe gave Urawa a 2-0 victory in the
return encounter.
The birthday
Takahito Soma would surely love nothing more than
to fire the Red Diamonds to victory on his 26
th birthday. A day later, team-mate Nobuhiro Kato will
be blowing out 23 candles.
The words
"We played extremely well in our two Champions
League encounters but in the end we lost. We were unlucky, but now
it's Urawa who are in a little trouble. They lost their
Japanese championship title and got knocked out of the
Emperor's Cup. That's why I think we have a good chance of
beating them."
Luka Bonacic (Sepahan coach)
"We know Sepahan very well and we know they're an excellent team. But we're perfectly aware of our own qualities and our chances of winning this match. We owe it to ourselves to win this game in front of our own fans. Playing against Milan in the semi-finals would be the best way to thank our supporters." Holger Osieck (UrawaRed Diamonds coach)
