SYDNEY: From day one, their maiden Asian Champions League campaign has been a leap into the unknown for the Western Sydney Wanderers, so they feel little trepidation about taking on Saudi heavyweights Al Hilal in the first leg of the final tomorrow.
The Wanderers have stared down a succession of powerful East Asian outfits in the continental club championship and now face their first Middle Eastern opponents at their home Parramatta Stadium.
In contrast to the no-frills team from Sydney’s working class west, founded only two years ago as an expansion club in Australia’s top-flight A-League, Al Hilal boast a rich heritage, powerful connections in the Saudi royal family and a trophy cabinet crammed with domestic silverware and two Asian titles.
The Wanderers, however, have demonstrated that reputations count for nothing on game-day, having downed Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande and FC Seoul in the knockout rounds.
In facing Al Hilal, Wanderers defender Antony Golec suggested ignorance was bliss.
“I wouldn’t have a clue who they are to be honest,” Golec told reporters this week. “I’ll let them do the Googling on us.
“It doesn’t concern me if they’re the best club in the world or the worst... we just focus each day and then we’ll take the game as it comes.”
Al Hilal have done little to shed any light for their opponents, nor endear themselves to local media since arriving, holing up in a luxury hotel near the iconic Sydney Harbour bridge and declining interview requests.
Local media reported that they had rejected the more thrifty Wanderers’ first offer of five-star digs, hyping up a David versus Goliath battle between the local blue-collar battlers and the pampered tourists.
In Parramatta Stadium, a suburban ground a world away from Sydney’s glittering harbour, Al Hilal are likely to feel a hostile reception from Wanderers supporters, regarded the most vociferous soccer fans in Australia.
The faithful roared the team onto an emphatic 2-0 home win in the second leg of the semi-final against FC Seoul and coach Tony Popovic expects they will help push the team to a solid lead before the return leg in Riyadh against Al Hilal, who lost the away leg of their last-four encounter against Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates 2-1.
Popovic will be sweating on the fitness of forward Brendon Santalab, who suffered a hamstring strain in an A-League game against Sydney FC last week, but should have striker Tomi Juric, the team’s leading goalscorer last season, and defender Matthew Spiranovic available after injury concerns.
Al Hilal, with Brazilian midfielder Thiago Neves pulling the strings and the pacy Nasser al-Shamrani an attacking spearhead, have the firepower to score in Sydney to set up their bid to join South Korea’s Pohang Steelers with three ACL titles.
The final also offers a chance for a rare double for Al Hilal’s centre back Kwak Tae-hwi, who captained South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai to the 2012 ACL championship and can become the first player to win the tournament in two different sides.
The winner of the final will travel to Morocco for the Fifa Club World Cup. Reuters