The J.League champions qualify as hosts and the technically gifted side face Auckland City of New Zealand in the opening play-off fixture. What should you expect from the Japanese champions?
Sanfrecce Hiroshima will be the representative side for the host nation Japan at this year’s FIFA Club World Cup. The side will carry the hopes of their nation’s shoulders and considering this is the biggest sporting event held in Japan since the horrifying earthquake and tsunami of 2011 they will be hoping to do their country proud. Sanfrecce won the J.League for the first time under their current guise this year and will be the considerable favourites heading into the play-off fixture against Auckland City.
A lot will be made of 30-year-old striker Hisato Sato ahead of the competition as undoubtedly he is the star of this team. He scored 22 goals last season to finish as the J.League top scorer and was also named the player of the season and much rests on his talents.
They are far from a one-man team however. While they may lack the household names that you might expect they have brought in Kazukiko Chiba and Naoki Ishihara to strengthen the team and have core players such as twin brothers Kazuyuki & Koji Morisaki and Yojiro Takahagi at the club who have been there for many years. While not blessed with an array of Japanese internationals what they do possess is a side who play a solid and fluid game.
When it comes to foreign talent they have the Croatian winger Mihael Mikic. The 32-year-old has been at the club since 2009 and previously played for Dinamo Zagreb and FC Kaiserslautern of Germany. Now in Japan he has become one of the most feared wingers in the league over the past 12 months and with him providing for Sato they are always a potent attacking threat capable of scoring goals at any given moment.
The Auckland coach knows how difficult a game this will be. While the New Zealanders are more experienced in this competition (this will be a joint record fourth World Club Cup) they often struggle to advance past the playoff stage.
Last year they were dumped out by the J.League Champions at the same stage and Sanfrecce will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Kashiwa Reysol by despatching of their North Island opposition.
City are in no doubt who they should be keeping their eyes on in this tough fixture:
‘We’ve watched how Hiroshima play and seen that they’re a technically very good team with some excellent players like Hisato Sato, Mihail Mikic and Koji Morisaki.’
Sanfrecce will go into game overwhelming favourites but will have to be careful; Auckland dumped the highly fancied Al Ahly of U.A.E out in 2009 and will the amateurs will go in with brave fearlessness.
Will Sanfrecce Hiroshima do as expected and topple Auckland City?
image: © yoppy
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