Sebastian Tagliabue bagged a brace scoring in the 34th and 47th minutes before Nasser Al-Shamrani scored in the final moments.

Buriram United held out for a goalless draw at Bunyodkor Tashkent to go through 2-1 on aggregate.

Al-Ahly is also through after its 2-0 home win over El Jaish. Bruno Cesar and Mustafa Al-Bassas netted in the first half to complete a 3-1 aggregate win.

FC Seoul recovered from an early Freddie Kanoute strike to go through to the last eight after a 3-1 triumph over Beijing Guoan. Adilson equalised in the 61st minute before Il-Lok Yun levelled in the 70th before Myong-Jin Koh made sure of the win in the last minute.

Speaking on the eve of the second leg of the Mariners’ round of 16 AFC Champions League duel against the bank-busting money men of Guangzhou Evergrande, the Englishman insisted it’s time for the club he saved from going under seven weeks ago to replace bashful with boastful.

“I feel people should be looking up to this club as the best in Australia. We are the champions after all,” said the telco tycoon. “From a financial point of view we might be the smallest – but we are the best.

“We have the best training facilities in the country (at Tuggerah) without a doubt and we have the best coach in Australia, without a doubt.

“It’s nice to think we supersede our expectations but our expectations are far higher than some people think they are. We are the champions of Australia and are going to start behaving that way - both on and off the field.

“We have plans from grassroots level to the first team and that’s what’s going to build our success going forward. It’s not just looking at next season but many years down the line.”

Though Central Coast will need a minor miracle to upset the Chinese Super League leader and back-to-back champion at Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou on Wednesday night as its trails 2-1 from the first leg, Charlesworth insists the club’s A-League stocks have never been higher after its grand final win.

Charlesworth, who rejected a $4 million offer from South Melbourne’s backers to take control of the club because it would have meant losing the franchise from Gosford, is under no illusions of how hard it will be to turn Central Coast into a self-sustaining entity.

“The future is challenging, without a doubt. We need to be working closely with FFA in building the sport on the Coast,” he added.

“My dream is to help build football in Australia over the next few years so it’s competing with the major sports. That might seem ambitious but I’m an ambitious person. There’s a lot of growing for football to do in Australia and the impetus is there now to push on.

“But we can’t pat ourselves on the back because the job is only halfway done.”

Though the club is facing the exits of several players after its Asian Champions League fate is determined, Charlesworth believes the club will be able to replenishing itself – just as it has done in the past.

“The plans are in place to continue to do what we have done over the past few years. Obviously we want Graham Arnold to stay on as coach but if he does leave we have a succession plan in place (understudy Phil Moss to take the reins with player turned coach Patrick Zwaanswijk as his deputy).

“We will be very competitive next year, without a doubt. Our target once again will be to win the thing – not to simply finish just in the tops six.

“But the reality is if younger players excel in the A-League they attract interest from offshore and while we will try and persuade players to stay, if decent offers come from overseas there’s not much we can do about that.

“Over the years we have managed to successfully replace those who have been sold – and those sales have sustained the club. For the short-term at least, that’s going to have to continue. Hopefully, in a few years the league will be at level where players will want to stay.

“On the flip side, we have such a strong coaching network and such good facilities, the best young players want to play for the Mariners and we give them an opportunity.”

On the Mariners’ prospects of shocking Marcello Lippi’s multi-millionaire squad, Charlesworh said: “The tie is not dead; we are going there to hopefully do something special. Everybody has written us off … everybody is used to writing the Mariners off.

“But this club never gives up. We might be a goal down but stranger things have happened and we’ll give it a real go.

“The difference between the sides is they have the budget to attract world class quality and were able to put away those half chances in the first leg, whereas we didn’t.

“But in terms of overall play, and chances created, we gave a great account of ourselves and 2-2 might have been a fairer result.”

Graham Arnold’s side troubled the moneyed Chinese champion in last week's round of 16 first-leg, when the visitor needed a lucky rebound, a Central Coast mistake and a 76th-minute goal from Brazilian forward Muriqui to eke out a 2-1 win.

Now, coach Arnold is convinced that his players have a chance of getting the away goals they need if they can deliver a similar performance in Wednesday's second-leg at Guangzhou's Tianhe Stadium.

"I've watched the DVD a couple of times and if we play the way we did in Gosford and we take our chances then everything is possible," Arnold said.

"We're fit and we've only got one competition to focus on.

"They had to play us last Wednesday then fly back and play on Saturday night. We're fit and fresh and we'll give it our best shot."

The Mariners arrived in China on Sunday but had a setback when they lost most of Monday's training session to a downpour. Still, midfielder Nick Montgomery said the squad remained confident.

"We created so many chances before they scored in the first leg," Montgomery said.

"We are playing against some top-class opposition and I think we matched them for most of the game.

"If anything we took confidence that we can create chances and that we can win the game."

Arnold expects Marcello Lippi's side to offer up just as much space for the Mariners as it did in Gosford. It will be up to Australia's lone representative in the competition to exploit it judiciously.

"We're 90 minutes away from reaching the last eight in Asia and that's the way we've got to look at it," Arnold said.

"But you can't win a game in the first half, usually you can only lose it. We've got to play with our brains, use common sense and do our jobs.

"It's important we don't concede early. If we concede in the first half it will pretty much be game over, as then we'll have to get three. We need to go out there and make sure we are defensively strong."

Whatever happens, with a three-month break until the next round, this will be the final match of a gruelling season that has the Central Coast players criss-crossing Asia while still managing to pick up their first ever A-League title.

The grand final win over Western Sydney was undoubtedly the highlight of the club’s campaign but Montgomery says reaching the last eight in Asia would be huge.

"Wednesday is a massive game and a massive achievement for me as a player and the Mariners," Montgomery said.

"The AFC Champions League is so big across Asia.

"For me it's definitely up there with the biggest games I've played in. We're looking at 40,000 people in a nice stadium against a great team. These are the nights you play football for."

McGlinchey said the major difference between the two sides in the first leg of the tie at Bluetongue Stadium on Wednesday was the speed with which Guangzhou Evergrande moved the ball into attack off Central Coast turnovers.

Guangzhou Evergrande won the game 2-1 and the return leg will be played in front of a packed house at Guangzhou Sports Centre on Wednesday.

“They were great in transition,” McGlinchey said. “That’s their strength.

“We put in a good performance and had enough chances to score goals and even win the game, but when you come up against a quality side like that you’ve got to be very careful about how you manage the ball.

“They are very quick at making something happen out of nothing. Obviously, the best thing would be to avoid turning the ball over, but it happens and when it does we’ve got to be more alert and react quicker to the danger.

“We’ve got to be disciplined when we’ve got the ball and we’ve got to get behind it when they’ve got it. We’ve got to try to suffocate them when they’ve got possession.”

Despite the fact the Mariners lost the first leg, it was one of their best performances at ACL level. It was a fast-paced, high-quality game against a very strong opponent and they could have easily emerged from it with at least a well-earned draw.

The big-name players in the Guangzhou Evergrande side made the difference in the end, but McGlinchey said the Mariners had travelled to China optimistic about their chances of getting the result they need to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Central Coast must score two goals just to put themselves in the picture and if Guangzhou Evergrande score even just one goal it will become a mountain for the Mariners to climb.

“We stepped up to the level in last week’s game,” McGlinchey said. “It was a fantastic game to play in - apart from the result.

“The increased speed of the game meant you had to concentrate hard, because you never had a lot of time on the ball.

“And if you gave it away it was very hard to get it back.”

McGlinchey said his aim in the return leg is to apply more pressure when he had the ball.

“I want to take the defender on a bit more,” he said.

McGlinchey paid tribute to veteran Mariners central defender Patrick Zwaanswijk, who will retire after this match.

Zwaanswijk, 38, made his name in Dutch football, and after a stint in Japan he has finished off a terrific career with three years at the Mariners.

“Patrick came over at 35 and managed to produce three seasons of high-quality football for us,” McGlinchey said. “He’s been one of our best players this season.

“We’ll try as hard as we can to send him off the right way.”

The Chinese domestic double-winner holds a 2-1 advantage from last week's round-of-16 first leg, when goals from Lucas Barrios and Muriqui secured a stylish win in Gosford.

Attractive, free-flowing football, inspired by its South American attack, has made well-heeled Guangzhou - the 'Manchester United of Asia', according to Mariners assistant coach Phil Moss - many people's favourite for the title.

But on Wednesday, Central Coast will do its utmost to deny the Chinese team and dash Lippi's hopes of adding to his career coaching haul of one FIFA World Cup, one UEFA Champions League trophy and five Serie A titles with Juventus.

"There's no hiding the fact that it's going to be tough, but they are at home and they've got all the pressure on them - they're expected to win the AFC Champions League," said Mariners coach Graham Arnold.

"We've got to go out and put in our best performance. We're 90 minutes away from reaching the last eight in Asia and that's the way we've got to look at it."

Guangzhou, which reached the quarter-finals on debut last year, warmed up with a 4-1 win on Saturday over Liaoning Whowin - China's last Asian champion, in 1990 - while the Mariners are in post-season after claiming the Australian title in April.

South Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the only previous Champions League winner still standing, also has an uphill battle against Japanese team Kashiwa Reysol after going down 2-0 at home last week.

Thailand's unheralded Buriram United is tantalisingly close to the quarter-finals after shocking Uzbek giant Bunyodkor 2-1 in the first leg last week.

And South Korean champion FC Seoul faces a nerve-jangling evening on Tuesday when it hosts China's Beijing Guoan, with the scores deadlocked at 0-0 from last week.

Among the other fixtures, Saudi Arabia's Al Shabab holds a 2-1 advantage over Al Gharafa, and Iran's Esteghlal looks home and dry after scoring four away goals in its 4-2 win over Al Shabab Al Arabi of the UAE.

The 38 year-old central defender is expecting the emotion to kick in after the second leg of the round of 16 Asian Champions League clash in China, but until then he says he will hold it together and do all he can to help the Mariners achieve a shock result.

“I’m not too emotional about it,” Zwaanswijk said. “I’m feeling pretty good. It’s been a great ride, my time at the Mariners, and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.

“Winning the grand final after we had waited so long to do it, that was the most emotional moment I’ve had at the club. I’m looking forward to the next phase of my career now, but first I’ve got a job to do with the rest of the team in China.”

Zwaanswijk will retire after the game and join the club’s coaching staff for next season.

Guangzhou Evergrande beat the Mariners 2-1 at Bluetongue Stadium in the first leg of the ti, which means the Mariners have to score two goals at a packed Guangzhou Sports Centre just to be a chance of advancing to the quarter-finals.

When asked if the equation made it difficult for the Mariners to settle on the right approach for the game, given that they need to score multiple goals but also try to keep the opposition from scoring, Zwaanswijk said it would be just as tricky for Guangzhou Evergrande.

“They’ve got a 2-1 lead. Do they try to defend that or do they try to score a goal?” he said. “Graham Arnold told us that with all the international experience we’ve had, and he’s had, we can go in there with the knowledge that it’s not going to be easy for them to find their way through this game either.

"A 2-1 score can be hard to defend.”

Zwaanswijik, who joined the Mariners after a terrific career spent mainly in Dutch and Japanese football, has been great for the club both with his own play and his influence on the young central defenders coming through there.

Trent Sainsbury and Zac Anderson have clearly learned a lot in a short time from Zwaanswijk, accelerating their development in one of the game’s most difficult positions.

Sainsbury missed the first leg of the tie with a hamstring injury, with Anderson partnering Zwaanswijk. But Sainsbury, who won the Mariners Medal as the club’s player of the season and is attracting serious interest from overseas clubs, has made the trip to China and is expected to play.

“Trent got through everything at our final home training session on Saturday,” Zwaanswjik said. “He looked 100 percent, so he should be fine to play.”

The Mariners flew to China on Sunday and had had further training sessions planned for Monday and Tuesday.

Zwaanswijk had for several months been wrestling with the decision of whether to play on next season, and only announced his intention to retire ahead of the first leg of this tie.

He said the fact the Mariners won the grand final 2-0 over Western Sydney Wanderers, with him scoring a goal, had allowed him to think clearly before making a decision.

“It didn’t make the decision for me, but it removed any possible distractions,” Zwaanswijk said. “I didn’t have to worry that there might be something lacking if I retired without a grand final win.

“I could think strictly about whether it was the right time for me to retire, and it was.

"Arnie had left it up to me to decide whether to play on or join the coaching staff, and when I thought about it I realised I was starting to struggle a bit with the training.

“Once I made the decision I was comfortable with it, so I knew straight away I’d made the right one.

“I came here for one season originally, and now I’ve stayed for three and I’m going to continue with the club by coaching the youth team and working on wider youth development. I’m pretty happy with the way it has all turned out.”

But the club needs at least two next week against one of the richest clubs in the world to have any chance of reaching the quarter-finals.

Even so, Mariners manager Graham Arnold isn't giving up hope just yet.

The Mariners might have lost 2-1 to Guangzhou Evergrande in Gosford on Wednesday night but they had chances to add to Mitchell Duke's seventh-minute opener and held the Chinese champion 1-1 until Muriqui's 75th-minute winner.

"We've got one more game to go," Arnold said. "The heads are down but I've said to the boys that football's a funny game. Let's recover, let's analyse and let's go for it over there.

"The pressure's on them. We've got no pressure. They're expected to win the Champions League. We've just got to go there and give it our best shot again."

The Mariners only just made it out of their first-round group, so further progress in their third ACL campaign was already a long shot before Wednesday's defeat.

There is some hope, however, albeit slight.

Most uncharacteristically for a team coached by Italian FIFA World Cup winner Marcello Lippi, Guangzhou was full of holes, with John Hutchinson, Bernie Ibini and Michael McGlinchey all exploiting gaps.

Ibini lifted in a cross from the right corner of the area that the falling Duke volleyed in for the opening goal and it could have been 2-0 just 10 minutes later when McGlinchey laid on a chance for Daniel McBreen.

And Arnold expects his team to get more chances next week.

"We analysed during the week where their spaces are. The front three give a false press and don't put too much pressure on the ball and it was a matter of finding McBreen because he was free the whole time," Arnold said.

"I don't think they'll play any different. From the games I've watched, they rely heavily on the front three to score the goals and they rely pretty much on the back six to stop them so I think the space will still be there."

One thing that surely won't be repeated is the wardrobe malfunction that meant Guangzhou kicked off with 10 men as striker Gao Lin was sent back to the changing room to remove the short white socks he wore over his regulation red ones.

Lippi and his assistants raged on the touchline as the referee forced them to kick off a man down.

"You can change your socks but, obviously, you can't start a match with 10 men," Lippi said.

"It was something I've never seen in my career. In over 40 years of football, I've never seen this happen before.

"I just can't believe he allowed the game to start with just 10 players on the field."

The first half was low-key, with Siavash Akbarpoor's close-range miss for Esteghlal the most notable incident until Al-Shabab's Luiz Henrique broke the deadlock with a fine solo effort in stoppage time.

Jlloyd Samuel equalised 10 minutes after the interval and the Iranian champion went on to take a 3-1 lead with 10 minutes remaining through headers from Javad Nekounam and Farhad Majidi.

Edgar cut the deficit but the impressive Khosro Heydari's late goal gave the visiting side a comfortable lead.

Another team coming from behind to take a first-leg lead was Chinese champion Guangzhou Evergrande, which trailed after seven minutes against Central Coast Mariners but eventually won 2-1.

Mitchell Duke's volley gave the Australian side the early advantage but former Borussia Dortmund forward Lucas Barrios equalised in the 28th minute.

Muriqui's deft finish in the second half then gave Marcelo Lippi's side a lead to take back to China for the second leg.

Japan's Kashiwa Reysol was a 2-0 winner against Jeonbuk Motors, Masato Kudo heading a second-minute opener before Tatsuya Masushima powered in a second-half corner.

Youssef M'Sakni scored the only goal eight minutes from time as Lekhwiya won 1-0 away to Al Hilal.

The loss leaves Graham Arnold's men with a mountain to scale in the return leg of the AFC Champions League round of 16 tie next week as it bids to stay alive in the competition.

The home side's cause was not helped when centre-back Trent Sainsbury was ruled out before kick-off to an injury sustained in camp with the Socceroos, a development that left Arnold none too pleased.

The Mariners led early through young gun Mitchell Duke but were finally sunk by strikes from $10 million man Lucas Barrios and free-scoring Brazilian Muriqui, notching his seventh goal in the competiton this season to break home hearts.

Arnold was philospohical after his side had given a good account of itself against the cashed-up Chinese

"In the end the quality of Guangzhou showed through. They were lethal in transition and we got punished for not making the most of our chances," he said.

"But this tie is not yet over and we will go to China (for next Wednesday's second leg) and give it our best shot.

"I am proud of the boys and I think they have done the A-League proud."

The cash-strapped Mariners got off to the perfect start, to the glee of the majority of the 8,953 fans in attendance, against the pampered money-men of Guangzhou with Duke - prefered to Mile Sterjovski up front - volleying Arnold's men into a shock seventh minute lead.

Guangzhou's defence, its one achilles heel, stood off as Nick Montgomery surged into enemy territory, and he offloaded for the ever-improving Bernie Ibini to cleverly chip into the path of fellow youngster Duke, who finished with panache - with the aid of a slight deflection - from just outside the six-yard box.

Stung by the setback, Marcello Lippi's expensively assembled squad sought a quick riposte and it took the intervention of keeper Mat Ryan to block a shot from Paraguayan hitman Barrios with stopper Patrick Zwaanswijk then throwing his body in to prevent Argentine ace Dario Conca burying the rebound.

But the visitor, top of the Chinese Super League and unbeaten this season in domestic competition as its seeks to defend its title, did break through in the 28th minute.

And it was Barrios who inflicted the damage, blasting a volley past Ryan from close range after the Mariners had been caught short at the back by a quick break with Conca - one of the world's highest paid players - providing the amunition.

Central Coast had to dig deep in the second half to withstand the sheer quality of Guangzhou but it was left cursing when Daniel McBreen - hunting his 20th goal of the season but his first in the ACL - squandered a glorious chance after an intricate interchange of passes with Duke, shooting straight at keeper Zeng Cheng.

Lippi's side came lose at the other end to taking the lead, with Muriqui cheekily back-heeling against the post as Ryan scrambled to keep the ball out in the 72nd minute.

But four minutes later Ryan could do nothing as Muriqui latched onto a flick from Gao Lin to imperiously fire home the the visitor's second.

Central Coast fought hard for an equaliser in a rousing finish but could find no way through. It also had good reason to feel hard done by in the first half when an assistant's errant flag ruled Ibini offside as it led 1-0 with a second goal on the cards before the official intervened.

Meanwhile, talk is rife that striker Matt Simon could be on his way back to the A-League with the Mariners calling a press conference on Thursday morning to make a player announcement.

The 27-year-old left the Gosford club for Chunnam Dragons in the January 2012 transfer window but only made six appearances in his first season in Korea and has not seen any game time in 2013.

Australia midfielder Bresciano put Al Gharafa ahead just before the break but Al Shabab drew level seven minutes into the second half through Sebastian Tagliabue and then snatched the win thanks to substitute Nasser Al-Shamrani's 83rd-minute strike.

Bunyodkor Tashkent will also need to overturn a 2-1 deficit if it is to repeat last year's run to the semi-finals after losing the first leg of its last-16 tie at Buriram United.

Buriram, the first Thai team in a decade to reach the knockout stages, struck through goals from Anawin Jujeen (17) and replacement Ekkachai Sumrei (76) after Igor Taran had drawn Uzbek side Bunyodkor level on the stroke of half-time.

Last season's runner-up Al-Ahly put itself in pole position to progress through to the quarter-finals after drawing 1-1 at El Jaish.

Al-Ahly, which lost 3-0 to Ulsan Hyundai in last November's final, took the lead on the stroke of half-time through Muataz Al-Mosa at the Al Rayyan Stadium in Doha.

The Saudi outfit was unable to hold onto that advantage, with Anderson levelling 15 minutes from time for tournament newcomer El Jaish, but it still holds the upper hand going into next week's return meeting at home.

In the day's other match, K-League champion FC Seoul held out for half-an-hour with a man less to earn a goalless draw from its first-leg trip to Chinese outfit Beijing Guoan.

Korea Republic international Choi Hyo-jin was the man given his marching orders in the 61st minute but Beijing could not take advantage.

The first leg of the round of 16 matches saw Thai outfit Buriram take on Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan at Buriram’s New I-Mobile Stadium.

With Australian referee Ben Williams taking charge of the match, the home side managed to sneak a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Anawin Jujeen (17 minutes) and midfielder Ekkachai Sumrei, who headed home a Jirawat Makarom free kick in the 77th minute. Igor Taran had earlier struck a goal in first-half injury time to equalise for Bunyodkor.

Buriram is the first Thai team in a decade to reach the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League.

It was a far tighter affair inside the Beijing’s Workers Stadium as Beijing Guoan struggled to score, despite FC Seoul going down to ten men after having Choi Hyo-Jin sent off at the 60 minute mark.

The return leg will be played on 21 May at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Kick-off for the Central Coast Mariners’ Round of 16 match against Marcello Lippi’s Guangzhou Evergrande is 19:30 AEST on Wednesday from Central Coast Stadium.

The Italian World Cup-winning coach was in Terrigal as his Chinese Super League side prepares to face Central Coast Mariners in its round-of-16 Asian Champions League clash at Bluetongue Stadium on Wednesday.

It was a media conference like no other as Lippi sat flanked by three translators - Italian/English, Chinese/Italian and English/Chinese - in a packed room of dozens of journalists all eager to quiz one of the world's most decorated managers.

Lippi was graceful, happy to field several questions and - contrary to the short, sharp responses his translators offered - appeared to go on at length in his answers.

The Italian maestro has five Serie A titles to his name from his time at Juventus where he also won the UEFA Champions League in 1996.

He has transformed Guangzhou, guiding its to the Chinese Super League championship, China Cup title and has the side sitting in top spot on its domestic ladder.

Most notably, however, Lippi was at the helm of Italy's 2006 triumphant World Cup side that also knocked out Australia.

Mariners coach Graham Arnold was Socceroo mentor Guus Hiddink's assistant at that time.

"I've only had one experience with Australian football and that was at the World Cup," Lippi recalled as the translators did their best to repeat the trilingual response after each question.

"It ended up in a win in the 94th minute and we then went on to win the World Cup, so it was a very good experience for us."

Lippi revealed he's in constant touch with his former Juventus charge Alessandro Del Piero and sought his advice on the Mariners.

He said when he heard the news of Del Piero's move to Sydney, he was not surprised.

"No, I wasn't shocked when he came to Australia because, in the end, we both had the same idea," he revealed.

"After so many years of having experience in Italy, we both thought to go somewhere far, another continent and have a new experience."

But would Lippi ever consider following in the Sydney FC star's footsteps and make a move to the A-League?

"Who knows? It may happen," he said.

"It's a very beautiful and civilised country so, if there is an opportunity, I would definitely think about it."

The Mariners will the face Marcello Lippi-managed Chinese Super League champion at Bluetongue Stadium on Wednesday but the contrast between the clubs off the field could not be more striking.

The A-League champion operates on a budget of $2.5 million. Its opponent is worth an estimated $40 million, excluding the salary of their Italian World Cup-winning coach Lippi.

Guanzhou is home to the third-highest paid player in the world in Dario Conca, who cost Evergrande a record $10 million fee from Brazilian side Fluminense on a three-and-a-half year deal.

These days he pockets a reported $12.5 million per season.

Experienced Brazilian Muriqui, dynamic new-comer Elkeson, who has scored 13 goals in eight games this season, and ex-Borussia Dortmund striker Lucas Barrios form a formidable unit.

Despite the disparity in squad size and cash flow, Arnold is not intimidated."It's a wonderful challenge for us to come up against one of the richest clubs in the world but also one of the favourites in this competition," he said.

"We're fit and we're confident and we're at home so we have to get a good result tomorrow night."

We hold no fear - make no mistake about that.

"We've got a lot of pride in what we do. We're not only representing the Mariners, we're representing Australia and the A-League and I'm very confident that we'll get the right result tomorrow.

"The Mariners will travel to Guangzhou next week for the second-leg encounter, with the winner advancing to the ACL quarter-finals.

The midfielder, flourishing for Tianjin Teda since his January switch from Brisbane Roar, knows all about the threat of the Chinese Super League leader, having been part of the Tianjin side beaten by it 3-0 a week ago.

Adorned with star names and boasting one of the healthiest bank balances in Asia, Guangzhou has the firepower to blow the Mariners out of the water.

But Paartalu said its weakness lies at the back and the Mariners must burst out of the blocks early at Bluetongue Stadium on Wednesday night and catch Marcelo Lippi’s side cold and try to build an advantage going into the return leg on 22 May.

“I think there best chance is to try and get an early goal and impose themselves on the game,” he said.

“It’s vital they bring something back to defend in China or they won’t have a huge chance of progressing.

“With all their Latin imports, and their Chinese internationals, Guangzhou plays the game at a higher level than anybody else in China and if Central Coast don’t have anything to hold on to in the second leg it will be incredibly tough for them.

“But they do have a chance if they can establish a lead because Guangzhou are vulnerable at the back. Their game is all about their attacking firepower. We played five defenders against them the other week and still lost 3-0.

“But they are not Barcelona and they are not invincible and Central Coast do have a chance, if luck goes their way and they get a lead to take to China. I am not sure how well Guangzhou’s players will deal with the journey to Australia, I have a feeling it might take its toll on them a little.

“This is a huge opportunity form the Mariners. There is nothing for them to be fearful of – they need to go for it and back themselves and I am sure they will.”

Paartalu, who has just turned 27, has played every minute of each of his nine CSL games for Tianjin since his arrival, scoring three times for a side locked at the foot of the table as it suffers the consequences of a match-fixing penalty which saw it deducted six points this season.

Its record of one win, fours draws and four defeats is not inspiring, with Paartalu one of its few bright lights.

Guangzhou, by contrast, tops the table, and boasts glitterati like Argentine midfielder Dario Conca, whose $12.5 million annual pay packet dwarfs the Mariners' entire operating budget. Paraguay star Lucas Barrios is a $12 million capture from Borussia Dortmund, who joined the club last year.

Conca, according to Paaratlu, is the man who must be watched most closely.

“The thing about him is that even if you put a player on him, he still somehow finds room to wriggle out of tight situations and produce a telling pass," said Paartalu.

“It shows you just how strong they are that when they played us, they started with Barrios on the bench and when you have a World Cup winner coaching you (Lippi in 2006 for Italy), it just rounds things off.

“If you give this team the faintest sniff, they will punish you.”

Evergrande also boasts Brazilian attacking duo Muriqui and Elkeson, China captain Zheng Zhi, goalkeeper Zeng Cheng, defender Sun Xiang and striker Gao Lin, who bagged a double as its overpowered Shanghai Shenhua on Friday.

Paartalu insists he is not just in China for the financial rewards, explaining: “I came here to test myself both on and off the field in a new culture and a new league.

“Here you have squads of 25 players who can all do a job for the first team whereas in the A-League maybe it’s 12 or 13 players who can do that at any given club.

“I feel I am in the best shape of my career and I’m enjoying my football. Obviously the club's in a tight spot and having those points deducted hasn’t helped. But we’ll keep fighting.”

The 38-year-old Dutchman, who marshalled Central Coast's A-League winning defence last season, will remain at the club, taking on the Head of Youth & Community Football role for the next three years.

Zwaanswijk’s new portfolio will mean he will coach the club's National Youth League (NYL) team, as well as act as the Mariners’ liaison with Central Coast Football (CCF) regarding the Academy pathway.

Zwaanswijk will play his final professional game on Australian soil against Marcello Lippi’s Guangzhou in Gosford on Wednesday 15 May, while his last ever game will be the reverse fixture in China seven days later.

Zwaanswijk said that after nearly two decades of playing professional football in his native Netherlands, as well as in Japan and Australia, the time had come for him to hang up his boots and commence a new chapter of his football journey.

“At a certain point there’s a transition in life,” Zwaanswijk said. “This is a great opportunity for me, so that made it a little bit easier for me to finish my career.”

“For me, it’s important to give back to football and to give back to, at this particular time, the Central Coast Mariners.”

“It’s time to step out of the way to give Zach Anderson a good chance with (Trent) Sainsbury. He’s (Anderson) shown he is a full first team player, and with me stepping out of the way it gives him the chance to get all the credit he deserves.”

Zwaanswijk rates his 2013 A-League Championship success alongside his back-to-back Dutch Cup crowns won with FC Utrecht in 2003 and 2004.

He said: “I hope there’s two more highlights in my career to come. One, the qualification to the quarter-finals in the Champions League, and two, my farewell with the Central Coast people.”

“I hope everyone is going to turn up to cheer not only me on, but the squad on, because we’re looking for a big moment and a big opportunity to beat one of the best Clubs in China.”

Central Coast Mariners coach, Graham Arnold, praised Zwaanswijk as one of the best foreigners to ever to grace the Australian domestic scene.

“When we signed Patrick he was 35 and more than a fair share of eyebrows were raised about him joining us,” Arnold said. “But he has proven his quality over the past three seasons, making an enormous contribution to the Mariners and the A-League.”

“He’s been a consistent performer for us, and his leadership qualities and ability to help other players get the best out of themselves cannot be doubted. Alex Wilkinson, Trent Sainsbury and Zach Anderson have all improved their game by playing next to him.”

Mariners star Pedg Bojic said part of the A-League premier's plan in the AFC Champions League round of 16 first-leg clash will be to adopt a physical approach in competition for the ball.

“We want to be physical,” Bojic said. “Not to the point where we want to start bullying people, but showing our presence.

"Given our fitness that we have in the last 10 minutes of every game and knowing that we’ll have to keep going in this one, that’s where we have to show another of our strengths. We keep going until the last second.”

Asked if the hard but legal approach was about letting the dangerous attacking players in the Chinese club side know that there would no easy pickings for them on the road, Bojic said: “Exactly. We’ve got a few good tacklers in the team.

“Nick Montgomery is great at breaking up play, so he’s going to be a hard man to get past.”

The super-fit Bojic said his approach from right-back would be the same.

“Yeah, of course, 100 per cent,” he said. “I’m not sure who I’ll be coming up against, but I’m pretty sure it will be someone who’s fast and technically a very good player.

“I’m prepared for that. You’ve just got to go in full of confidence, and in my position the first thing you’ve got to do is defend well to make sure they don’t get past you.

“Attacking from fullback is one of the strengths of our team, but at the same time you don’t want to get caught out down the field.”

Guangzhou Evergrande boasts seven Chinese national team players, but its best-known and highest-paid stars are from South America.

They include Argentinian Dario Conca, Paraguayan Lucas Barrios and Brazilian pair Muriqui and Elkeson.

Asked if he had seen Guangzhou Evergrande on video, Bojic said: “I haven’t yet, but I expect that will come for myself and the rest of the team at training over the next few days.

“That is usually how the process happens. We get into the specifics of who we’re playing further down the preparation.

“I’ve seen some of the individuals play with various teams and they’re great players. If I’m up against them it’s going to be an amazing experience. It will be interesting to find out what they’re really like when they’re in front of you.

“It’s a great opportunity for us on behalf of Australia, so we’ve got to go out there full of confidence. We’re in the last 16, as they are. They’ve got a bigger budget than we have and we’re well aware of that, but every club we’ve played against has had that and we’ve made it this far.

“It’s going to be a hard task, but we’re up for the job.”

Bojic said the overall approach of the Mariners wouldn’t change much from what they did in the A-League and in the ACL so far.

“What we’ve been doing all year, we’ve got to keep that going,” he said. “You’ve sometimes got to change things according to the situation, but generally our best chance is to play the way we’ve been playing all year.

“With the home advantage, you want to get the three points. You don’t want to have to go over there to chase something in the second leg. You want to go over with a good mentality towards the game.

“Three points is the aim. If we don’t get that then we would obviously want to at least get a draw, and, if so, a nil-all draw. Then you could go over there knowing that if you get a score-draw it will be enough. But the idea on Wednesday is to go out to win.

“You have to give everything you’ve got. The good thing is that, unlike in the group stage,you don’t have to worry about other results. It comes down to these two teams, and the best team wins.

“We have to go all out, but at the same time we have to concentrate on doing our jobs within the team.”

The Mariners face Evergrande in the first leg at Bluetongue Stadium on Wednesday night.

The Chinese Super League champion, which operates on a huge budget, comes to Australia with a high reputation and is led by Italian World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi.

Griffiths, who left the Mariners in 2012 to sign for Evergrande's crosstown rival Guangzhou R&F, has faced China's top team three times for two wins and a loss.

He is in no doubt about the magnitude of the Mariners' task.

”They are the best Chinese team I have played against by a mile,” Griffiths said.

”They are very strong in attack and all their foreigners are attackers.

”The players to watch are attacking midfielder Dario Conca [Argentina] and striker Muriqui [Brazil] while striker Gao Lin is the best Chinese.

”On the flip side, the defence is their weakness.

”They are very strong at home but they are confident enough to think they can win away, too.

”The Mariners must get a result this week because Evergrande are very strong in China.”

This is the first time that the Mariners, who won their first championship last month, have reached this stage of the competition after coming close last season.

A big crowd is expected to watch the match and the return takes place at Tianhe Sports Center in Guangzhou on Wednesday week.

Evergrande and Shandong Luneng are leading the Super League with 19 points but the former has a game in hand.

McBreen forecast a tough return trip to Guangzhou’s Tianhe Stadium a week later in stressing the importance of gaining a first leg advantage against the formidable Chinese Super League champion, which boasts world cup-winning coach Marcelo Lippi and a number of international stars.

“We have such a good record at home and we need to take advantage of that so that we have something to try and hold onto when we are away," McBreen said. "Guangzhou will obviously be a different prospect at their home ground, so we definitely need to try and get the points on the board in this first game.

“I’m hoping a lot of football fans regardless of who they support get behind us and treat it somewhat as an international - it’s Australia versus China.

"It would be good to see a lot of people come out and make it a great atmosphere.”

McBreen, along with seven other Mariners’ stars were selected in the top 35 players for the A-League All Stars match against Manchester United at ANZ Stadium on 20 July.

The Burnley-born marksman admitted he is pleased by the recognition from the fans, and acknowledged the two-match test against Lippi’s team provides the perfect opportunity to impress Australia selectors.

“It’s always good to be recognised by the fans,” McBreen said. “The club did particularly well, we have had eight players selected, and it is a reflection of how well we have done.

"We’ve played great football, we have been a really good team and worked together well. It’s a good reward for a great season.

“For us it is an incentive to keep training. Most of the other teams have finished and are in their off-season now.

"We will continue on, and it’s two big games for us, we are still at 100 per cent and the intensity is high. It is good for us and gives us another chance to impress the selectors.”

Along with McBreen, Mathew Ryan, Josh Rose, Patrick Zwaanswijk, Trent Sainsbury, Pedj Bojic, Michael McGlinchey and Bernie Ibini are in the running to represent the A-League All Stars against Manchester United.

The Mariners earlier moved to clarify speculation about the role of their former coach, Lawrie McKinna.

A statement from the club said that in his role as Official Ambassador, "McKinna will be at the forefront of the Mariners’ community engagement efforts, presiding over a range of events to ensure the club continues to strengthen its bond with the Central Coast people. "In addition, McKinna will continue to complete some of the football operations duties that he currently fulfils. This will include the organisation of the team’s 2013/14 Hyundai A-League pre-season campaign." Central Coast Mariners Chairman Peter Turnbull described McKinna's changed job description as subtly different. “Lawrie is well known in Central Coast and Australian football circles and as part of our current restructure it’s true that a few of Lawrie’s football operations commitments will be absorbed by other staff,” Turnbull said. “However his input, energy and experience from a football perspective will naturally remain highly valued.”

The Mariners host cashed-up Chinese champion Guangzhou Evergrande in Gosford on Wednesday in the first leg of their AFC Champions League Round of 16 clash. But rather than feeling intimidated, Montgomery can't wait.

“Guangzhou are a massive team,” he said. “They have a World Cup winning manager and some big name players on big salaries.

Two of those players are Argentina midfielder Dario Conca, who commands more in a season - a reported $12.5 million - than the entire Mariners roster. Not far behind him is Paraguay star Lucas Barrios, who joined the club last year for $12 million from Borussia Dortmund, which he had helped lead to the 2010-2011 Bundesliga title.

“They are going to be a big test for us and it’s a massive game for the Mariners," Montgomery said.

“It is going to be huge for the boys, the club and Australian football.

“To reach the last 16 is a big achievement, and it shows how well we have done this season.”

Montgomery says the Mariners will be looking to claim maximum points against the back-to-back Chinese Super League winner, before travelling to Guangzhou for the second leg on 22 May.

“It’s very important that we get a result at home, we’ve made it our fortress this season,” he said.

“To get a result against them would be massive, it would definitely help us when we head to China.”

As if the presence of big name players isn't intimidating enough, the man at the helm of the club is 2006 FIFA World Cup-winning coach Marcelo Lippi.

“It is going to be huge having him here,” Mongomery said.

“For any manager to win the World Cup, you can’t really do any more than that.

“He’s a massive name in world football and it will be nice having him in Gosford.

“It just shows how well we’ve done this season and we deserve to be playing against them.”

Montgomery hoped the presence of a star-studded team led by a world class manager would prompt fans to come to the ground in their droves.

“They can come and see a World Cup winning manager and some big name players,” he said.

“They should want to come and watch us as well as we’ve been entertaining all season.

“If you support football, you should make your way to Gosford and support the Australian team.”

Evergrande also features Brazilian attacking duo Muriqui and Elkeson, who has scored 13 goals in seven matches for the club this season.

Also on the books are eight players that featured in China’s squad for its 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifying match against Iraq, including China PR captain Zheng Zhi, goalkeeper Zeng Cheng, defender Sun Xiang and striker Gao Lin.

Determined to give the club the best possible chance of reaching the last eight, Charlesworth – in close consultation with coach Graham Arnold – ordered keeper Mat Ryan and striker Bernie Ibini to delay intended trials with French Ligue 1 side Lille while a mooted trial for defender Trent Sainsbury at Basel has been pencilled in for 24 May.

The Mariners face the first leg of against two-time Chinese Super League champion Guangzhou in Gosford on 15 May with the return seven days later.

Had the club not stepped in, both Ryan and Ibini would not have made it back to Australia until 24 hours before the first leg, a scenario both Arnold and Charlesworth saw as untenable.

“All trials and transfers are on the backburner until we get through this tie,” said Charlesworth.

“We want to give ourselves every chance of progressing further in the competition and that means having our full squad fit and available.

“Both Mat and Bernie would not have been back until a day before the first leg (after near two-week trials) and that wasn’t going to work for us. So everything is being put off and we’re going to give it everything we’ve got.

“This is a massive occasion for our club and I’m hopeful we might have a crowd of around 15,000 to watch us in the first leg.

“Guangzhou are just about the richest club in China and it’s not every day a coach of the calibre of Marcel Lippi (who won the World Cup with Italy in 2006) comes to town.

“Graham Arnold was assistant coach for the Socceroos the day Italy knocked Australia out of the World Cup (in the round of 16) with that last minute penalty in 2006, so there is a bit of history there between the coaches also.

“Their wage bill is about 100 times the size of ours but we won’t be overawed and I am sure we’ll give a good account of ourselves.

“I am convinced we will do enough at home to keep the tie alive for the second leg at the very least.”

The Mariners attracted 7,265 for the second leg of their final group match against Kashiwa Reysol, where a 3-0 loss wasn’t enough to stop them reaching the knockout stage.

And Charlesworth wants FFA to weigh in and help to promote the visit of Guangzhou in what he believes is an education process for Australian audiences not yet sold on the ACL concept.

“I think there is a perhaps a lack of understanding out there over how big this tournament is and while it's cost us money so far to compete in it, we’re now reaching a stage where there are some financial rewards and that’s good," he said.

“But there is also great prestige in going a long way in this tournament and after Newcastle and Adelaide we’re only the third Australian team to have reached the knockout stages.

“I feel with the right promotion we can attrcat a large cowd in what will be a huge night for the club. We are flying the flag for Australia now and we hope to capture the imagination of the football public countrywide.”

But Mariners coach Graham Arnold said his A-League champions have no fear of their AFC Champions League opponents ahead of the first leg of the round of 16 tie in Gosford on 15 May.

Two-time Chinese Super League champion Evergrande is one of Asia's wealthiest clubs and boasts World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi.

It ensured a match-up with Arnold's Mariners when it finished on top of its group after Wednesday night's 0-0 draw with Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai.

But Arnold - who was the Socceroos' assistant coach when they played Lippi's ultimately victorious Italy in a 2006 World Cup round of 16 loss - is ready for the battle.

"Marcello Lippi is one of the world's truly great football figures and it's unquestionable he will be the most famous person ever to coach a team on the Central Coast," Arnold said.

"But, while we will show Marcello Lippi and Guangzhou all the respect they deserve, we will not fear them.

"We have a two-week preparation heading into the game and our full focus will be on achieving a positive first-leg result to take to China."

In 2011, Evergrande paid $10 million for Argentine attacking midfield star Dario Conca from Brazilian side Fluminense on a three-and-a-half year deal. He now earns a reported $12.5 million per season and is one of the highest-paid footballers in the world.

A year later, the cashed-up club signed Paraguay striker Lucas Barrios from German outfit Borussia Dortmund for a record $12 million fee, with an estimated annual salary of $9 million.

Meanwhile the Mariners, who recently struggled to pay their players before the intervention of new owner Mike Charlesworth, spend approximately $2 million in total on players per season.

It's believed the club's top earners are paid in the realm of $200,000 a year, while several younger players are on barely more than the A-League minimum wage.

Regardless, Arnold said his team was ready to prove its on-field strength in a fortnight's time.

"Our club will take enormous pride in hosting Marcello Lippi and the Evergrande team, and the match promises to be a great occasion for all Australian football fans," he said.

The Mariners will play the second leg against in China a week after the Bluetongue Stadium meeting, with the aggregate winner advancing to the quarter-finals in August.

Buriram twice came from behind with midfielder Theerathon Bunmathan's late free-kick edging it into the last 16 ahead of Jiangsu Sainty, which had won 2-1 at Vegalta Sendai.

The last Thai side to get out of the group stage was BEC Tero Sasana in 2003 under the stewardship of current Buriram boss Attaphol Buspakom.

Attaphol's side had to ride its luck though with Carmelo Gonzalez missing a first-half penalty before Seoul, which had already secured its passage, went ahead through Jung Seung-yong shortly after the break.

Buriram almost immediately equalised for the first time through Ekkachai Samre and while Kim Hyun-sung put the host back ahead Bunmathan's inswinging free-kick eluded everyone.

That meant Jiangsu Sainty was tipped out on goal difference despite its win at Vegalta Sendai.

Vegalta, which would have gone through with a win itself, had led after Naoki Sugai's header but the Chinese side hit back with Liu Jianye and Hamdi Salihi on target.

Sendai midfielder Wilson and Jiangsu defender Ren Hang both saw red late on.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors booked its last-16 place with a nervy goalless draw at already-qualified Guangzhou Evergrande.

The Korean side's point meant Urawa Red Diamond's 1-0 win at Muangthong United was not enough as it bowed out with an inferior head-to-head record. Daisuke Nasu's second-half volley secured Urawa's win.

Lekhwiya and Al-Shabab progressed from Group B after both claimed vital wins.

All four teams in the group could have gone through but Qatari side Lekhwiya ensured it topped the group with a 2-0 win over Al-Ittifaq. Ceara Luiz (11) and Khalid Muftah (66) grabbed the goals.

Al-Shabab started the day bottom of the group and with a tough trip to Tashkent, but Jociel Ciel's 64th-minute strike sent it through with a 2-1 win over Pakhtakor.

Esam Dhahi sent the visitor ahead after a minute before a 19th-minute Kakhi Makharadze penalty levelled the contest.

Ciel sent Al-Shabab ahead before it was forced to see out the last five minutes with 10 men after Mohammed Marzouq saw red.

Al Shabab and El Jaish, whose progress was already guaranteed, both rounded off their Group A campaigns with victories.

Pool winner Al Shabab battled from a goal down to sink Al-Jazira 2-1. Ibrahim Diaky put the visitor ahead just before the half-hour mark but Nasser Al-Shamrani levelled in the first minute of the second half and substitute Fahad Amad Al-Yamani grabbed an 80th-minute winner.

The campaign ended on a sour note for Al-Jazira, which had Khalid Sabeel sent off in the final minute.

El Jaish also found itself a goal down but responded well to post a 4-2 success at Teraktor Sazi FC, which finished bottom of the standings on four points from six games.

Al-Doukali Side (penalty) and Abdulgadir Bakur netted in the first six minutes of the restart, to overturn Geilson's early opener for the host. And, although Geilson equalised midway through the second half, a Bakur spot-kick restored the visitor's lead before Ko Seul-Ki's strike six minutes from time sealed matters.

The Mariners squeezed through to the group stage despite Tuesday's 3-0 home loss to Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol, to join Adelaide United and Newcastle Jets as the only Australian sides to have made the last 16.

Next up is a meeting with China's powerhouse Guangzhou Evergrande and former World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi, so the Mariners realise they need all the support they can get.

"It's a fantastic achievement for the smallest club in Australia to get to the last 16 in Asia," Central Coast coach Arnold said.

"We'll work hard now over the next two or three weeks.

"In the next round, we're not just representing Central Coast Mariners, we're representing the A-League and Australia. So hopefully we'll get some Sydney FC supporters up and some Wanderers supporters up and make it a real good football atmosphere here."

Arnold said he had already sounded out the possibility of a friendly match against the country's home-based internationals during a training camp on the Central Coast next week.

With the A-League season over and a first domestic title in the bag, Arnold said his players need a game to keep them competitive.

"I'm going to maybe have to ask a favour of Football Australia," Arnold said.

"The Socceroos are in camp next week and we need a game, so it would be great if we could play the home-based Socceroos in a friendly game next Thursday just to keep us fit and give us some opportunity.

"They need a game, the under-20s need a game. We can accommodate both teams. If they'll help us, that'll be fantastic."

The Mariners will host the first leg of the round of 16 in Gosford on 15 May, with the return match a week later.

Media speculation has linked Arnold with a move away from the Mariners but he said he is already planning for next season.

The three-month hiatus until the quarter-finals means he can prepare regardless of next month's result.

"I'm very, very happy we've got another four weeks of football and that gets rid of the month of May where we probably weren't doing any football," Arnold said.

"Now our program is perfect for next season with the whole month of June and the first week of July off and then into pre-season."

In Group G, Beijing ground out a 0-0 scoreline against Japan's Sanfrecce Hiroshima, which was already eliminated, while Bunyodkor's game with Pohang Steelers finished 1-1.

The results mean Bunyodkor finishes top of Group G with 10 points, ahead of Beijing in second spot. With Marcello Lippi's Guangzhou Evergrande already qualified, China has more than one team in the last 16 for the first time since 2005.

Pohang scored a 93rd-minute equaliser through Park Sung-Ho but it was far from enough as it needed to beat Bunyodkor by two goals to progress.

Central Coast Mariners reached the knock-out phase for the first time in its history despite being thrashed 3-0 by Kashiwa Reysol.

Second-half goals from Masato Kudo, Cleo and Leandro Domingues left the Mariners with their hearts in their mouths on Tuesday night, but Suwon Bluewings did the A-League champion a favour by hanging on for a 2-2 draw with Guizhou Renhe.

China's Guizhou equalised in the 87th minute but it could not find the all-important winner that would have taken it through at the Mariners' expense behind Kashiwa, which was already qualified as winner of Group H.

"That softens the blow a little bit, but Kashiwa are a quality side," said Mariners coach Graham Arnold.

"I thought we played very well up until the first goal and we had a chance with one getting cleared off the line but Kashiwa played very well. We're through to the last 16, that's the main thing.

"We're thankful to Suwon for helping us tonight."

A second-half penalty by Javed Nekonam saw Iranian side Esteghlal to a 1-0 win over Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates.

It was not Al Ain's night as it exited at the group stage when Saudi outfit Al Hilal beat Qatari side Al Rayyan 2-0 in Doha to take the second qualifying spot behind Esteghlal.

Superior finishing by the J-League outfit proved the key as goals from Masato Kudo and the Brazilian duo of Cleo and Leandro Domingues proved the undoing of the home side.

But the Mariners - playing in front of a cowd of 7265 - still finished second in Group H behind runnerway winner Kashiwa after the other clash between Guizhou Renhe and Suwong Bluewings in China finished 2-2, meaning the Mariners finished a point ahead of Guizhou.

Just to add to the drama, that game didn't finish until five minutes after the final whistle in Gosford, leaving Mariners players huddled on the field nervoulsy awaiting the final whistle.

The result means they also became only the third Australian team to reach the knock-out stages of the competition after Adelaide United and Newcastle Jets.

"It has been a wonderful achievement by the guys to get to the next stage," a relieved Mariners coach Graham Arnold said.

"We have to thank Suwon for helping us, but this is no less than we deserved.

"It's been a tough six weeks for us, but we kept fighting and hanging tough."

Despite his side already having alreday qualified for the next stage, Kashiwa coach Nelsinho Baptista fielded a full strength team, including the club's Brazilian trio - Leandro, Cleo and Wagner.

After a tight first half, the game burst into life with the Mariners unfortunate not to take a 48th minute lead when playmaker Michael McGlinchey had a close-range shot cleared off the line as the home side upped the tempo.

Then Josh Rose cut inside in the 57th-minute after a clever run only to misdirect his finish on his weaker right foot.

The Mariners were hit by a sucker-punch in the 59th-minute when 22-year-old Kudo was superbly fed by Ryoichi Kurisawa, and he left exposed keeper Mat Ryan with no chance as he finished with aplomb.

With the game opening up, chances came and went at both ends and substitute Mitchell Duke made an immediate impact after coming on with a series of jinking runs.

And it was Kashiwa, with only its third chance of the game, which killed it off as a contest in the 78th-minute when a mix-up at the back allowed Cleo to bundle the ball past Ryan for the clincher.

And Leandro put the cherry on the cake with a third in the 85th-minute, Ryan unable to stop his free-kick crossing the line.

Kashiwa, which had beaten the Mariners 3-1 in its home group game, was coming off a 4-0 J-League drubbing by Omiya Ardija and looked anything but looked convincing in the early stages.

Probing with intent, Central Coast was threatening down the flanks with Pedj Bojic and Josh Rose getting forward at every opportunity to ask questions of the visitor.

Rose fired just wide in the 11th-minute and Bojic conjured some inviting crosses as the Mariners sought to add another notch to an imposing home record which had brought 13 wins from 16 games in all competitions.

But for all their enterprise, the home side strugged to create clear-cut openings with 19-goal Daniel McBreen, who only got out of his sick bed on game day, and striker Mile Sterjovski struggling to find room.

With a maiden A-League title and a first away win in the Asian Champions League (ACL) already in the bag, the Mariners can reach the knock-out stage of the continental competition for the first time when it hosts Japan's Kashiwa Reysol in Gosford on Tuesday night.

Fans and commentators might forgive the players if they relax after the heroics of a comprehensive 2-0 A-League grand final win over Western Sydney Wanderers and the 1-0 victory over Suwon Bluewings in South Korea just 48 hours later.

But manager Graham Arnold is having none of it.

"We had three goals at the start of the season: to try to win the premiership again, to win the grand final and to reach the last 16 of the Asian Champions League," Arnold said.

"I don't let up on the boys. For me, it's as big as the finals series.

"It's an occasion that doesn't come to you often in your football life."

The reward of progress could be a meeting with China's Guangzhou Evergrande and former World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi.

"Having Marcello Lippi here in Gosford, no doubt he would capture the imagination of the fans like (Alessandro) Del Piero has on the playing side," Arnold said.

"It would be a huge thing for the game here in Australia."

Central Coast needs to beat Kashiwa Reysol to be sure of progression but even a draw or defeat could be enough if Guizhou Renhe fails to beat Suwon in the other Group H match.

"We want to extend our season by one month," Arnold said.

"We don't want to be training down next week and have to be looking at the last-16 games ... we want to be part of that. We're desperate to be part of that."

Arnold has a fully-fit squad to choose from as the Mariners aim for a first win over a Japanese side in Gosford, having lost 5-0 to Kawasaki Frontale in 2009 and drawn 1-1 with Nagoya Grampus last year.

Captain John Hutchinson and midfielder Brent Griffiths are available after serving one-game suspensions and Arnold said striker Daniel McBreen would be fine to play despite a virus.

"After the hectic week last week, they had a few days off to recover and rest and they looked fantastic today in training," Arnold said.

"There were a lot of smiles thanks to the grand final win."

The Mariners are hoping to extend a five-game unbeaten home streak in the ACL against a side that beat it 3-1 in March but has nothing to play for having already wrapped up ftop spot in the group.

The holder of Japan's Emperor Cup is on a low ebb after a 4-0 home defeat left it 11th in the J-League with 10 points from eight matches, hours after the Mariners were acclaimed by celebrating fans at an A-League victory parade through the streets of Gosford.

"The defeat did lead to questions but, ultimately, the answer is we must just play better and create more opportunities," Kashiwa Reysol coach Nelsinho Baptista said.

In-form Ibini, 20, will journey to Ligue 1 heavyweight Lille with Mariners team-mate Mat Ryan for an anticipated 10-day trial on Saturday as both bid to further their blossoming careers.

But first-up there is the business of qualifying for the knock-out stage of the ACL to be taken care of, with J-League giant Kashiwa Reysol standing in the Mariners' way at Bluetongue Stadium on Tuesday night.

Kashiwa is already through while the Mariners are two points clear of Guizhou Renhe in second spot in Group H.

Victory would secure second spot for Central Coast while a draw might not be good enough, depending on whether Guizhou can beat group straggler Suwon Bluewings.

But Ibini – who could conceivably be playing his final game for the club - has no doubt the Mariners will leave nothing to chance.

“Our coach Graham Arnold has told us to treat the match just like the grand final,” he said.

“We all know what it would mean to reach the knock-out stage for the first time as a club and we’re proud of how we went to Korea and got the 1-0 win over Suwon 48 hours after winning the grand final against Western Sydney last Sunday.

“We’ve had a bit of time now to recover from the Suwon game and we believe we can get the win, so long as we play the way we know we can.”

Ibini – whose game has gone to a higher plain since returning in February from a trial with Belgian powerhouse Cercle Brugge – will be aiming to make another statement to Lille scouts with an eye-catching performance against Kashiwa.

“I am excited about going over there to trial,” he said. “They are a massive club and hopefully I can do well there and make an impression.

“Going with Mat, who in my opinion is the best keeper in the A-League, is an extra bonus and will make it easier for both of us,” he added.

“It’s been my dream to play in Europe and I’m doing what I can to make that happen.

“I also would love to play for the Socceroos one day and being based in Europe would make that more likely to happen at some stage.”

Lille - one time club of Mariners striker Mile Sterjovski - wants Ibini to stay for two weeks but that request has yet to be ratified by Central Coast.

The Mariners would play the first leg of a potential round of 16 clash against either China’s Guangzhou Evergrande or K-League Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on 15 May.

The return leg of that round of 16 fixture is scheduled for 22 May.

The Mariners, who are desperate to cash in on their top talent to boost their precarious bank balance, would net a transfer fee in excess of $300,000 for Ibini – who has a year left on his contract - should Lille be convinced of his potential.

If either the out-of-contract Ryan, or Ibini, land deals at Lille they would officially join the club in July.

Nigerian-born but Western Sydney-raised Ibini isn’t expecting any favours from a Kashiwa side languishing in the J-League but flourishing in the Champions League.

The Emperor's Cup winner sits in 11th spot with just 10 points from eight games and is coming off a humiliating 4-0 home loss at home to Omiya Ardija last Friday.

“Some people might think that being through to the next round, they will take it easy but I don’t believe that at all," Ibini said.

"I know the coaching staff here would never let us take that mindset into the match.

“We all desperately want to continue this Champions League journey we are on.

"I think in some ways we even surprised ourselves winning in Korea but then again with this group of players, and the spirit we have at the club, nothing should be a surprise.

“Whatever happens in my career the feeling we had in beating Western Sydney in the grand final and what we have achieved as such a small club will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

Speaking at the Mariners champion's parade in Gosford on Friday, Arnold reaffirmed his commitment to the club which he has guided to two of the past three grand finals.

"I’ve not heard anything from anyone, it’s all news to me," Arnold said. "I’ve got another year at the Mariners and I’m very happy here.

“I’ve got ambition. I’m like a young player in Australia that has ambition to play overseas.

"I’ve always been someone that wants to challenge myself or test myself, but whenever that is I don’t know.

Arnold praised fans who flocked to Gosford in their thousands to support the team as it paraded its prized trophy.

“It’s a fantastic roll-up but the support all year has been very very good," he said. "We’re only a small community up here with 300,000 people and we get around 10,000-11,0000 people at every game.

“Let’s hope it has a huge effect today. Everyone likes winner and we’ve got to take huge advantage of our success and hopefully the crowds will get better."

Arnold's view was shared by Mariners owner Mike Charlesworth, who admitted he wasn't anticipating such a large turnout.

"It’s much bigger than I expected actually and it does prove the support that we have here," Charlesworth said. "Hopefully a lot of these people who have turned up today will turn up for future matches and we can really build on today.

"It’s a very important platform for our future."

Charlesworth spoke to The World Game this week about the financial hardships facing the club, revealing he is in talks with Football Federation Australia (FFA) about how to ensure its ongoing financial viability on the Central Coast.

“It is a tough market on the coast to crack and I think traditionally people have said it’s not a football region, well I think that’s been disproved today," he said. "It’s a case of getting back to basics. We’ve got to get into the community and find out why they’re not coming.

“Our single biggest priority is getting back to becoming what we’re really good at and that is a community club.

"We’re going to be working very hard in the community with local clubs and organisations and that’s the only way that we can build a sustainable model for keeping a professional club on the coast.

“There’s a lot of enthusiasm here. No we’ve got to put it together and it’s a very exciting time for us.

“I want to see a football revolution here on the coast."

The Mariners will hoipe to continue their stellar season on Tuesday night with a strong performance in the AFC Champions League match against Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol.

A win would see the A-League club, which is second in Group H on seven points, advance to the knockout rounds. A loss or draw would ensure a nervous wait, with third placed Ghuizhou Renhe two points behind Mariners and hosting Suwon Bluewings in its final group match.

"The ACL is huge," Arnold said. "For me it’s as big as the grand final. This match is a chance to make history at this club."

Fans are encouraged to pack Bluetongue Stadium for the crucial match with ticket prices slashed to $10.

The Mariners returned to Australia on Thursday morning after following up Sunday's maiden A-League grand final win with its first AFC Champions League (ACL) away victory, against South Korean side Suwon Bluewings two days later.

It was a first win in Asia in nine attempts spread over three campaigns and capped off the biggest week in the club's history.

"We've definitely stepped up in the most important week of the season," star Mariners midfielder Michael McGlinchey said at Sydney Airport.

A positive result in the final ACL group game at home to Japan's Kashiwa Reysol on Tuesday would secure the Mariners a place in the last 16 knockout phase for the first time.

The Mariners enjoyed low-key celebrations after the grand final and also partied in Korea after their historic ACL success.

More celebrations are planned this week with the team to be honoured with a street parade in Gosford on Friday.

The focus will then turn to the game next week, after which the Mariners can finally relax fully, without having to worry about another match looming on the horizon.

"We've still got the game on Tuesday, which we want to definitely (win and) get through the next round," McGlinchey, who came off the bench to score the winner against Suwon, said.

"I think the celebrations will come if we get through that."

While there have been rumours coach Graham Arnold and some players could leave the club after the last 16 round of ACL, central defender Trent Sainsbury was confident the Mariners would survive any losses.

"You look at the club over the last three seasons, we've lost a lot of key players but then Arnie has brought in youth players who have done the job just as well," Sainsbury said.

"The team is such a strong-knit team that it doesn't matter who you bring in. I think they are always going to perform."

Sainsbury, who has established himself as a first-team regular this season, said he would reassess his options.

"I've had one good season. It doesn't mean I've had a great career as of yet," Sainsbury said.

"I've still got to pay my dues I think and I've got to work hard and I've got a lot of ambitions, and definitely one of them will be (joining) an overseas club."

Guangzhou scored first and last, Lucas Barrios netting in the 37th minute and Luiz Muriqui slotting home three minutes from time, but in between Urawa struck three times in 13 second-half minutes to take the victory.

Shinzo Koroki (52 minutes), Yuki Abe (63) and Marcio Richardes (66, penalty) were the men on the mark for 2007 winner Urawa, which moves onto seven points from five games with the win.

That leaves it third in Group F, two points behind Jeonbuk Motors and three behind leader Evergrande, which is now certain of a spot in the next round due to its better head-to-head record against Urawa.

Evergrande also lost Linpeng Zhang to a late red card against Urawa as it slumped to its first defeat of the group stage.

In the day's other match Jeonbuk Motors kept up its chase for a top-two finish with a 2-0 home win over eliminated Muang Thong United, Lee Dong-gook breaking the deadlock with a 57th-minute penalty and Park Hee-do doubling the lead just a minute later.

Jeonbuk, the 2006 winner and runner-up in 2011, now needs just a point from its last match against Evergrande to secure a last-16 spot.

FC Seoul also ensured its place in the next phase after beating Jiangsu Shuntian 2-0 away from home.

Ko Yo-han's 31st-minute opener and Kim Ju-young's 72nd-minute second secured the points for Seoul which is now guaranteed to finish top of Group E.

The race for second place remains open though with each of three other teams in the group still in contention after Buriram United drew 1-1 at home with Vegalta Sendai.

Osmar Barba's goal eight minutes into the second half looked set to give Buriram the victory but a dramatic 90th-minute equaliser from substitute Takayuki Nakahara - just 60 seconds after he replaced Naoya Tamura - earned Vegalta a point.

That result leaves Buriram and Vegalta level on six points heading into the final round of matches, with Jiangsu two points further back.

Wagner Ribeiro struck a hat-trick as El Jaish secured a top-two berth in Group A with a 3-0 win over already-qualified Al Shabab.

Wagner netted in the third, 82nd and 90th minutes to help El Jaish move onto eight points in the group and, with third-placed Teraktor Sazi losing to Al-Jazira, it is now assured of a place in the last 16.

Teraktor started the day a point behind El Jaish but was beaten 2-0 by Al-Jazira, for which Ricardo Oliveira (seven minutes) and Subait Khater (90) netted the goals.

Al-Jazira is now three points behind El Jaish but cannot overtake it due to its inferior head-to-head record against the Qatari side.

Group B will go down to the final round of matches after leader Lekhwiya was beaten 3-1 by Al Shabab Al Arabi.

The Qatari side had led through Youssef Msakni late in the first half but its hopes of sealing a place in the last 16 quickly evaporated thereafter.

Essa Obaid equalised seconds after the restart before substitute Ciel tapped in on 77 minutes to give the host the lead.

Sebastian Soria then saw red for an elbow before Edgar made it 3-1 in injury-time.

Al Ettifaq moved up to second in the group with a 2-0 win over Uzbek champion Pakhtakor.

Yahia Al Shehri's spectacular long-range effort fired the Saudi side ahead before Jamaan Al Jamaan curled in the second moments before half-time.

Hutchinson told The World Game he watched Tuesday night's game in the lounge room of his Terrigal home with fellow suspended Mariners player Brent Griffiths and a group of friends.

"We're the smallest club in Australia, which makes us a tiny club in Asia, and the boys have gone to Korea and beaten one of the biggest clubs in Asia to go to second place in the group," Hutchinson said. "I couldn't be more proud of them - it's a fantastic achievement.

"It's a pivotal result for football here. It's one of the great results for the game in this country. The Mariners are representing the A-League, and now we're in with a big chance of progressing beyond the group stage, which would be the first time for this club if it happens.

"I messaged 'Arnie' (Mariners coach Graham Arnold) and the boys after the game last night. I wanted to let them know how proud I was of what they had done. They were buzzing about the result, they were on a real high."

Hutchinson said he had been bursting with excitement during the match, particularly at the key time when substitute Michael McGlinchey scored the only goal of the game, in the 80th minute.

"It was a magnificent performance by the boys," he said. "I wasn't expecting them to play as well as they did, considering we played the grand final on Sunday and they then had to fly to Korea and didn't get there until late on Monday night.

"I've never shouted so much at the TV in my life. Brent Griffiths came over to watch, and we had some other mates with us. We were screaming at the TV. We were all standing up for the last 10 or 15 minutes, willing the boys on. We were too excited to sit down.

"It was a great ball by Oli Bozanic that put Michael McGlinchey on the way to goal, and his finish was great. The Mariners have gone over there with so much against them, and they've kept the team that is second in the K-League scoreless at home.

"Suwon Bluewings are a big team, with a big budget, but we beat them, which is tremendous. Now, we've got to back it up by making sure we do well enough in our last group game to make it through to the next stage."

The Mariners will play their final group game against the leader of the group, Japanese team Kashiwa Reysol, at Bluetongue Stadium on Tuesday.

Hutchinson said the key to the win was the attitude of the Mariners players after they won the A-League grand final against Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney.

"After the grand final, we had the mums and dads and wives and kids in the dressing-room, which was a really nice touch," he said. "Then we went back to the team hotel. We had a couple of drinks, but most of the boys were in bed by 11pm. We had to check out of the hotel early on Monday.

"The boys must have been fatigued over there in Korea, but they were on a high from the grand final and the fact they looked after themselves after Sunday's game has proved enormous. It's been a massive effort by the team and the coaching staff.

"I can't believe what they've done over there - it's fabulous."

Hutchinson said the Mariners weren't upset at not being able to properly celebrate their grand final win before heading off for the ACL game.

"There's plenty of time for celebrations down the track," he said. "One of our main goals before the season started was to advance from the group stage of the ACL, and now we've got the chance to do that.

"We've got a great record at home, and we'll be playing to win that game next Tuesday. The boys fly back in on Thursday, and we go back to training on Saturday. I'm really looking forward to linking up with them again for this game."

The Mariners are eyeing more club history after posting their first-ever Asian Champions League away win on Tuesday night, a 1-0 victory over Suwon Bluewings in South Korea.

But first they will regroup and take in what they have achieved.

Coach Graham Arnold didn't stop his players from lifting a glass after Sunday's A-League grand final win but the 48-hour turnaround for the ACL assignment meant things were perhaps more muted than they might otherwise have been.

There were no such worries after Tuesday's victory - the Mariners' first away win in three ACL campaigns.

"They can let their hair down for two nights after that," Arnold said.

"I have no hair to let down, so I'll be to bed."

Central Coast now sits in second place and has a full week to prepare for a final ACL group match against leader Kashiwa Reysol that will decide whether it makes it through to the knock-out stages for the first time.

That means there's plenty of time for heads to clear, even with Friday's A-League title victory parade through Gosford.

An appearance in the next round of the AC League on top of a domestic championship should by all logic be beyond a club of Central Coast's size and resources, but that is now a real prospect after Michael McGlinchey's 80th-minute winner at Suwon World Cup Stadium.

Even defeat against already qualified Kashiwa Reysol could send Central Coast through if the Bluewings do it a favour against Guizhou Renhe in next Tuesday's other Group H match.

"If we can win at home, it's history," Arnold said. "When I came here to the Mariners, we had never won a game in the ACL."

The Mariners only arrived in South Korea on Monday evening, a day after goals by Patrick Zwaanswijk and Daniel McBreen secured a 2-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers and a first A-League title from four grand final appearances.

But there was surprisingly little evidence of fatigue as Arnold trusted momentum and morale to get his charges over the line by starting with seven of the 11 players who lined up in Sydney on Sunday.

The canny deployment of Nick Montgomery in a deep role to shield the defence added energy and bite in a crucial department but there were committed performances all over the pitch.

Suspended skipper John Hutchinson was the only player not to travel and, while Mile Sterjovski, Zwaanswijk and McGlinchey didn't start, all three made it onto the pitch as second-half substitutes.

"If we can perform the way we did tonight and play the way we have been playing at home to Reysol, then hopefully we can get the result we need," Arnold said.

Tatsuya Masushima put the Japanese host ahead early in the second half and a win looked on the cards until Kai Li's equaliser five minutes from time.

However, the point was still enough to secure top spot in the group with one round of matches remaining.

Central Coast Mariners leapfrogged Guizhou into second place with a 1-0 victory at Suwon Bluewings, courtesy of Michael McGlinchey's 81st-minute goal.

The newly crowned A-League champion is now one point better off than Guizhou, which faces Suwon in its final group match next week.

Group G will go to the wire after Bunyodkor was held to a goalless draw by Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Pohang Steelers was beaten at Beijing Guoan.

Former semi-finalist Bunyodkor went into its match knowing a victory would take it through to the last 16 but it was unable to break down the J.League champion.

It remains at the top of the group, however, with a one-point lead over Beijing Guoan which was a 2-0 winner over Pohang Steelers.

The South Korean side also had the chance to advance but goals from Joffre Guerron (47) and Jiayi Shao (87) saw it beaten and replaced in the top two by Beijing.

Bunyodkor travels to Pohang for its group finale next week while Sanfrecce, which cannot progress to the knockout stage, takes on Beijing.

Al Gharafa joined Al-Ahly in the next round after a 2-2 draw against the Group C leader.

The Qatar club took the lead after 23 minutes through Alex but that was cancelled out by Amad Al Hosni eight minutes later.

A 54th-minute penalty from Djibril Cisse put Al Gharafa in the driving seat once more only for Jairo Palomino to reply for Al Ahly after 69 minutes.

The result brought an end to Al Ahly's 100 per cent record in the group and also crushed Sepahan's hopes of progressing, despite its own 2-1 victory at Al-Nasr.

Goals from Radomir Djalovic (29) and Mohammad Gholami (79) sandwiched Younis Ameen's 72nd-minute reply, but the win was not enough for the Iranian champion, which lies four points behind the top two with one round remaining.

Esteghlal sealed its berth in the last 16 for the second successive season with a 3-0 home win over 10-man Al Rayyan, which now has no chance of finishing in the top two of Group D.

Captain Farhad Majidi opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time with Hashem Beikzadeh added a second in the 73rd minute and, after Al Rayyan had lost Fabio Cesar Montezine to a red card with 15 minutes remaining, substitute Arash Borhani completed the scoring late on for the Iranian side.

Esteghlal now has 10 points from games in Group D, one point clear of Al Hilal and four above Al-Ain.

Saudi side Al Hilal edged closer to a place in the next phase with a 2-0 win newly-crowned UAE champion Al-Ain, Salem Al-Dosari and Wesley netting both goals in the opening 24 minutes.

Substitute Michael McGlinchey grabbed the goal which gave the Mariners their first Champions League win on the road with 10 minutes remaining of a tight tussle.

The All Whites international burst onto a raking ball from Oliver Bozanic just nine minutes after being introduced to keep his composure and fire home to round off a stunning 48 hours for the newly-crowned A-League champion.

The victory propels Graham Arnold's men to second in Group H behind the already qualified Kashiwa Reysol, and two points ahead of Guizhou Renhe, as it seeks to reach the knock-out stage of the competition for the first time.

“The players showed wonderful character tonight,” Mariners coach Graham Arnold said. “It just shows how hungry they are for results.”

“We arrived here at 10:30pm last night after 16 hours of travel. To put in a performance like that is out of this world.”

“I’m just amazed by that performance away from home against a team that is coming second in the K-League. It’s a sensational result for Australian football.”

“They have gone above my expectations tonight with what they’ve done,” he said.

J-League Kashiwa Reysol is bound for Bluetongue Stadium next Tuesday night for the Mariners' final and deciding group game.

Guizhou, which beat Central Coast 2-1 with two late goals on Matchday Four, scored late to snatch a 1-1 draw with Kashiwa on Tuesday night.

Lying second in the K League Classic, but bottom of the group going into the game Suwon - featuring Australian defender Eddy Bosnar - made the early running.

But a Mariners side led by Pedj Bojic in the absence of the suspended John Hutchinson looked composed as it played its way into the match against a side it had drawn 0-0 with on Matchday One back at Bluetongue Stadium.

And, despite winning its grand final against Western Sydney Wanderers just 48 hours earlier, any signs of fatigue were not evident as it frustrated the hometeam which is now out of contention.

Chances were scarce and Suwon became increasingly frustrated as it sought to exploit any fatigue the visitor might be have been suffering.

A-League Golden Boot and grand final man of the match Daniel McBreen - who truned 36 on matchday - also found few avenues to goal as he chased his 20th of a remarkable season.

Tae-Se Jong could have broken the stalemate 15 minutes from time, but his piledriver clipped the crossbar on its way over. And that was about as close as Buewings came.

Post match Arnold urged a big crowd to attend next week’s final group game for the Mariners at Gosford’s Central Coast Stadium.

“If we can win at home it’s history,” he said. “When I came here the Mariners we had never won a game in the ACL.

“If we can perform the way we did tonight and play the way we have been playing at home to Reysol then hopefully we can get the result we need.”

Arnold added his players had earned the right to relax for a day or two, and said he’d savour the feats of the past few days before Friday's champion's parade through Gosford.

“They can let their hand down for two nights after that. I have no hair to let down, so I’ll be to bed,” Arnold said.

The Mariners beat Western Sydney Wanderers 2-0 in Sunday's grand final to break though for its maiden championship triumph after three failed attempts in 2006, 2008 and 2011.

Celebrations where cut short however, as the entire team - excluding suspended captain John Hutchinson - boarded an early morning flight to South Korea.

The Mariners contest its ACL match with Suwon Bluewings, only 48 hours after its Allianz Stadium victory.

But youngster Trent Sainsbury says the team has managed to focus on the crucial group-stage clash.

"We all were celebrating last night but in the back of everyone's mind we all knew we'd still had a job to do in Korea," he told AAP from Sydney Airport on Monday.

"So it took a bit of the shine away from it.

"But the boys have all managed to get their minds focused on Tuesday's match."

Central Coast is currently third in Group H, one point ahead of Suwon and need at least a point to keep its hopes of qualifying to the knockout stages alive.

Suwon, who is equally desperate for points, will be hoping to take advantage of a weary Central Coast side.

But Sainsbury says if anything Sunday's win has reinvigorated them.

"The way we're feeling right now, we feel invincible," he said.

"So we feel we can go and give things a real shake in Korea.

"We're going there for the three points and we go there with all the confidence in the world."

Englishman Nick Montgomery is likely to replace Hutchinson in midfield but while 36-year-old Daniel McBreen joked he "may have a groin injury" and miss the clash, he was among the travelling squad.

This doesn't mean he'll play, however, with coach Graham Arnold likely to field a different side to the one he did on Sunday, possibly resting some of the older players.

The last time the Mariners played Suwon they drew 0-0 in Gosford and playing the Koreans away will be a much tougher prospect, especially considering Central Coast has yet to win an ACL match on the road.

Suwon has been in blistering form domestically and sit second on the K-League ladder.

It comes into the match on the back of a 4-1 win over Daejeong, courtesy of a hat-trick from striker Tae-Se Jong - no doubt the side's dangerman.

But Sainsbury feels the Mariners has the Korean team covered.

"Last time we played them, we played them at home and I thought we played them off the park and deserved to win," he said.

"This time if we go over there and stick to our game plan, I'm sure Arnie has something in store for us, we'll come away with a win."

Sebastian Tagliabue's late breakaway goal secured a hard-fought 1-0 triumph for Al Shabab at Tractorsazi Tabriz to ensure its progress from Group A.

Al Ahli quickly followed its domestic rival into the last 16 as teenager Mustafa Al Bassas' double inspired a 4-1 win at home to Sepahan in the late game.

Al Bassas grabbed the first two goals for last season's runner-up before a 67th-minute Bruno Cesar penalty made it 3-0.

Radomir Dalovic grabbed a consolation for the Iranian side but Bader Al Khames added a fourth in stoppage-time.

Al Ahli has a perfect record in Group C and is set to be joined in the next round by Al Gharafa after the Qatari side cast pointless Al Nasr aside 3-1.

Lawrence Quaye and Nene gave Al Gharafa control and, although Takayuki Morimoto replied, Fahd Al Shammari added a third 10 minutes from the end.

Defeat means Walter Zenga's side became the first team to see its qualification hopes ended.

El Jaish leads the race for the second qualification spot in Group A after it drew 1-1 at Al Jazira.

Sultan Barghash opened the scoring for home side midway through the first half but Brazilian striker Adriano equalised before the break.

Vegalta Sendai collected its first ever ACL win as Atsushi Yanagisawa scored the only goal of the game against Group E leader FC Seoul.

Vegalta was joined by Buriram United, two points behind Seoul, after the Thai side beat Jiangsu Sainty 2-0.

Captain Suchao Nutnum and midfielder Charyl Chappuis scored the goals, although the latter was carried off on a stretcher with an apparent knee injury after celebrating his strike.

Bunyodkor moved clear in Group G with a 1-0 success at Beijing Guoan.

Fozil Musaev's close-range strike on 32 minutes inflicted a first defeat on Beijing, which slipped to third after Pohang Steelers was held 1-1 by Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

It was a first point of the campaign for the J.League champion, which opened the scoring against the run of play just after the hour through Naoki Ishihara.

Hwang Jin-sung quickly levelled, though, to leave Pohang two points adrift of leader Bunyodkor.

Muriqui hit a brace as Marcello Lippi's side cantered to a victory that takes it four points clear at the summit of Group F after the other match in the section between Jeonbuk Motors and Urawa Red Diamonds ended in a 2-2 draw.

The Chinese champion led at the break through Muriqui's double but saw its advantage cut by Sarawut Masuk after 53 minutes.

Zheng Zhi made it 3-1 three minutes later before Feng Xiaoting completed the scoring.

South Korean side Jeonbuk Motors worked hard for its point against Urawa Red Diamonds after trailing 2-0 at the break.

The Japanese visitor looked comfortable thanks to goals from Daisuke Nasu and Tsukasa Umesaki, but strikes after the break by Eninho and Seo Sang-min meant it ended all square.

In Group H, Guizhou Renhe defeated Central Coast Mariners 2-1.

A Mitchel Duke penalty gave the Mariners a lead that they held until six minutes from the end, when goals by Zlatan Muslimovic and Qu Bo sealed the points for the Chinese side.

Kashiwa Reysol is top of Group H - six points clear of Guizhou and the Mariners - after dropping its first points in a 0-0 draw with bottom side Suwon Bluewings.

In Group B, Al-Ettifaq defeated Al-Shabab 4-1 while Pakhtakor Tashkent and Lekhwiya drew 2-2. Al-Rayyan was a 2-1 winner over Al-Ain in Group D, while Al Hilal ran out a 1-0 victor over Esteghlal.

Chasing a first ACL victory on the road in seven attempts, Graham Arnold's youthful Mariners side was on course for three points to take a stranglehold on second spot in Group H before being undone by strikes from Zlatan Muslimovic and substitute Qu Bo.

The Mariners - who left a host of senior players at home to prepare for Sunday's A-League Grand Final qualifier against Melbourne Victory - led from Mitchell Duke's first half penalty before Bosnian veteran Muslimovic blasted an equaliser on 84 minutes and Bo tucked home a rebound to break their resolve two minutes later.

In the other Group H match, runaway leader Kashiwa Reysol was held 0-0 by Suwon Bluewings to leave Arnold's side third on goal difference with four points from four games.

The Mariners seemed to grow in stature as the game progressed and looked composed and resolute from the start.

With Guizhou Renhe needing to win to keeps its fading campaign alive it took the game to the visitor in a bid to put last week's 2-1 loss to Central Coast at Bluetongue Stadium behind it.

But chances were scarce and it was the Mariners who broke the stalemate four minutes from half-time when young gun Duke struck from the penalty spot after Nick Fitzgerald had been fouled by Rong Weihui to give them a priceless lead.

The frustration of Guizhou coach Gong Lei boiled over early in the second half when he protested too vociferously after a tangle between Duke and former Adelaide United midfielder Jonas Salley and was banished to the stands by referee Mohammad Abdulla Hassan.

It could have been worse for the home side had Duke shown greater composure when he was played in by Bernie Ibini, whose jinking run left three defenders in his wake.

But, ultimately, it was the Mariners who were punished.

With time running out on Guizhou’s maiden AFC Champions League campaign, Muslimovic hared down the left before cutting in and lashing a right foot shot that keeper Mat Ryan could do little about to level the scores.

A minute later Guizhou went in front for the first time in the game when Zvjezdan Misimovic’s shot from the edge of the area came back off the upright and Qu reacted first to thump the ball home from a tight angle.

After the match Mariners Head Coach Graham Arnold expressed his delight in the effort, endeavour and performance of his youthful side.

“I was very, very happy with my team,” Arnold said. “Their average age was 23, I left seven of our best players at home and it was only in the last ten minutes because of fatigue that Guizhou ended up getting on top of us.”

“Guizhou were dangerous in the last ten minutes, but the in the first 80 minutes they didn’t have a shot on goal.”

“You expect a big money player like Muslimovic to make a difference to a match, and that’s what he and his fellow Bosnian Misimovic did tonight.”

“Our young players will benefit from this experience. Tonight they have learnt that in international football it is critical that you take your chances and remain focussed on nullifying the threat of important players like Muslimovic, Misimovic, Sun Jihai and Qu Bo.”

“But really we had no problem with Guizhou at all. I thought they were very average for the first 80 minutes. It was only our young boys that got fatigued … otherwise the result would have been different.”

The Mariners leave Guiyang on Wednesday morning and have a 24-hour long trip to Australia’s Central Coast, including a seven-hour stopover in Guangzhou ahead of them.

The team will train on Friday and Saturday this week ahead of Sunday's sudden death A-League Semi-Final clash with Melbourne Victory at Gosford’s Bluetongue Stadium.

Ryan is set to start in goal for the Mariners in their AFC Champions League match day four clash with Gong Lei’s team at the Guiyang Olympic Sports Centre on Tuesday night.

He says he wouldn’t consider swapping the opportunity to ply his profession internationally for a more traditional 21st birthday bash.

“I can’t really celebrate my birthday in the typical fashion that you celebrate a 21st birthday, but I have the best job in the world so there’s no better way to do it,” he said.

Ryan stood between the posts for Graham Arnold’s team last week when the Mariners defeated Guizhou 2-1 at Bluetongue Stadium to move to second spot in Group H of Asia’s premier club competition.

The Australia squad member says he and his teammates are feeling good ahead of the game after an arduous journey to Guiyang from Sydney via Guangzhou.

“I think last night a few of the boys were a bit tired after getting here about midnight local time,” he said.

“But after having a sleep in the rooms last night I think everyone’s mood has lifted a little bit.”

Having commenced his professional career as a teenager, Ryan has no doubt the primarily young squad at Arnold’s disposal in China can do the job against Guizhou.

Ryan reckons the eagerness of Arnold’s ambitious youngsters to impress stands the team in good stead against the Chinese Super League side.

“There is nothing more I like than to see a young boy getting a chance and taking it,” he said.

“They’ve all had a taste of first-team football here at the Mariners and they’ve all held their own, and they’ll be looking to do that again.

“Being a young boy, you’ve kind of got no fear. You just kind of go out and live up the moment. Hopefully we can work hard and grind out a result.

“The boys can take a lot of confidence out of the result at home.

”Being on the road this time things are a little bit different with the travel, but we’re confident we’ve got the team structure and have brought the team across that can come here and get a positive result tomorrow night before going home to the semi on Sunday.”

Ryan also took time to thank the 16 supporters on the club’s official ‘Mariners On Tour’ trip to China.

“The supporters are one of the main reasons why we play the game,” he said.

“For such a decent following to come over here and support us is much appreciated by the players.”

Central Coast Mariners are in China for Tuesday night’s AFC Champions League Group H Match Day 4 tussle against Guizhou Renhe and then back up in a Grand Final qualifier against old rival Melbourne Victory at Bluetongue Stadium on Sunday.

Having beaten Guizhou 2-1 at Bluetongue Stadium last week to take second spot on the group ladder, the Mariners’ squad has been stretched to snapping point and is awash with youngsters for the return clash at the Guiyang Olympic Sports Centre.

While the Chinese Football Association gave Guizhou a free weekend to prepare, the Mariners only earned themselves a breather courtesy of a top-two finish, rather than any largesse from FFA.

“The Chinese FA have rescheduled fixtures to give their team every chance of beating us but we don’t have the luxury when it comes to the FFA,” said Arnold.

“In reality, chasing success in both the A-League and the ACL is almost impossible. We are not being given the opportunity to perform to the best of our ability.

“People think I whinge and carry on but I just want to see Australian teams given a better opportunity to progress in this competition and some aid from FFA would be very helpful.

“I’ve got great passion for this game and I want to see things done right at all levels, and some of the decisions FFA makes don’t reflect that.

“I have been around the game long enough to see how things can be handled best in these situations and with some support from the ruling body.

“If we hadn’t made sure of a top two finish then, we could have seen ourselves playing Sunday and Tuesday – and that makes things incredibly difficult. I have come to expect no help from FFA (in terms of fixture scheduling).

“From previous experience I’ve learned that I can no longer field my best team in all games and have to utilise the entire squad to give us any chance of success on two fronts.

“Ideally you’d have a squad of 30 to choose from. But we’re down to 19 with a couple of season-ending injuries and that makes it a big challenge.

“I worry about player welfare – it’s a matter of having faith in the whole group rather than not killing 11 players.”

With that in mind, the likes of Zac Anderson, Adriano Pellegrino, Bernie Ibini, Brent Griffiths, Brad McDonald, Anthony Caceres, Mitch Duke and Nick Fitzgerald fly the flag in China, while the older legs of Patrick Zwaanswijk, Pedj Bojic, Daniel McBreen, Josh Rose, Mile Sterjovski, Mike McGlinchey and Nick Montgomery have remained on home soil.

Competing in their third ACL campaign, the Mariners have yet to reach the knock out stages and are also chasing a first away win overseas in seven attempts.

“In Europe, you see teams play in their national leagues and also in European competitions three or four days apart but the distances they are travelling are far less than the 10 hours we fly to China, with three hour layovers and then domestic flights,” added Arnold. “It’s incomparable.”

Last season the Mariners led the A-League by 11 points before the ACL kicked in, ultimately just getting over the line by two to take the Premiers’ Plate.

This season, it led the league by five points before its first ACL fixture, only to finish three points adrift of Western Sydney Wanderers.

“I think that tells you quite a lot,” added Arnold.

A 16-hour trip followed by a single training session hardly represents ideal preparation for Tuesday's match against Guizhou Renhe.

And the prospect of an A-League preliminary final against Melbourne Victory on Sunday prompted coach Graham Arnold to leave a clutch of senior players to train at home, suggesting that the domestic competition remains the club's priority despite an eagerness to get past the ACL group stage for the first time.

"We've got maybe one eye on the upcoming game at home in the semi-final against the Melbourne Victory but the boys are focused and they're here to do a job," defender Trent Sainsbury said.

Sainsbury scored the opener as the Mariners clinched a 2-1 home win against Guizhou last week.

"We're losing some of the older boys' ability but if we lose their leadership, the young boys have got to step up and fill their boots.

"It's a great opportunity for them to show what they've got and I know some boys are fighting for contracts here."

More than 20,000 fans are expected to roar on the home side at the Guiyang Olympic Sports Centre.

While Guizhou bussed in about 700 Chinese students from Sydney to watch last week's match in Gosford, the Mariners say 16 die-hard supporters have travelled to China on a club tour led by director of football, Lawrie McKinna.

"If we can get an early goal and silence the crowd, keep the ball and keep possession, it'll work for us," Sainsbury said.

"I've been told to expect a 20,000-plus crowd so if we can get that the boys will be pumping with adrenaline and we'll use it to our advantage."

Only four of last week's starters made the gruelling trip, with midfielder Michael McGlinchey, leading A-League marksman Danny McBreen and last week's other scorer Pedj Bojic among those rested.

Nick Montgomery's omission denies the midfielder another reunion with former Sheffield United team-mate Sun Jihai.

The Guizhou captain was at the northern English club for the 2008-2009 season and started five games alongside Montgomery.

A draw would leave the Mariners well-placed to advance with two Group H matches remaining.

Last week's three points - only the club's second maximum haul from 15 competition games - hoisted the Gosford outfit to second in the standings behind runaway leader Kashiwa Reysol.

Arnold says he has to keep his squad fresh and he'll leave senior players behind when the Mariners fly to China, having kept their chances of a first appearance in the ACL knock-out stages alive with a 2-1 win over the visitor in Gosford on Wednesday night.

"At this moment, I'll be leaving seven players at home and we'll only be travelling with 14 or 15," Arnold said of his plans for Tuesday's fixture.

"I've travelled in China enough times to know that the travelling side of it is chaotic.

"I've had experiences before with the national team that flights can get delayed for a day, so, with the preliminary final on Sunday, the older players will stay behind.

"I'll leave (fitness coach) Andrew Clark behind as well to train them and prepare."

A reduced squad doesn't mean Arnold is waving the white flag away from home, however.

He has full confidence in the youngsters who will make the trip to China, especially after a mostly second-string side rounded off the regular A-League season last weekend with a 2-1 win over Melbourne Heart.

"I don't use the words 'weaker side'," Arnold said. "Did you not watch the game against Melbourne Heart? It's a younger side."

Even so, after goals by Pedj Bojic and Trent Sainsbury secured only the Mariners' second win in 15 Asian Champions league games, Arnold feels a more conservative approach is in order in China.

"We'll work hard and try and shut up shop and make us hard to beat," Arnold said.

Guizhou will be desperate for victory in front of its home fans after a second defeat from three matches left it at the foot of the Group H table with a solitary point.

The Mariners have a three-point cushion over their rival and, sitting second to leader Kashiwa Reysol, have a good shot at progressing after a dominant performance in Gosford.

"With the budgetary constraints of the A-League and especially at this club, to be able to get the three points and perform that way was exceptional," Arnold said.

Arnold could be forgiven for grumbling over the competing demands of domestic and continental competition at the business end of a gruelling season but the coach is positive.

"We've shown over the last three years that we belong in the Champions League," he said.

"I know there's probably nine other clubs sitting at home wishing that they were us and at the start of the year some clubs spent a hell of a lot of money to try and be in the position we're in."

Bosnia star Zvjezdan Misimovic has not ruled out a stint in the A-League after his contract with Chinese club Guizhou Renhe ends in two years.

Speaking after his team’s 2-1 AFC Champions League loss to Central Coast Mariners on Tuesday, Misimovic said he would consider a stint in Australia if an opportunity arises.

“I have a two year contract in China but in football you never know,” he said when asked about trading China for Australia. “I’m open for anything.”

Misimovic terrorised the Mariners defence and provided he cross which was helped into the net by Mariners goal keeper Mat Ryan, a player left impressed by the Bosnian’s game.

“These Asian teams have a lot of money to buy these quality individuals and Misimovic showed (his) quality tonight on the dead ball,” Ryan said.

Mariners coach Graham Arnold said he warned his team about the danger Misimovic presented.

“Their three foreigners were very good,” Arnold said. “We tried to highlight the fact not to give Misimovic and Nano anytime on the ball.

“If we could put pressure on these two and they just had to release it to one of their players we could of nullified them.”

Misimovic’s impressive form also has been the driving force behind Bosnia and Herzegovina run towards the 2014 World Cup.

The national team is three points clear of Greece at the top of UEFA qualifying Group G and remains on track for a place in Brazil.

“When we play like the last few games I’m sure that we can go to the World Cup,” Misimovic said.

“We played before the last two World Cups in play-offs and were unhappy we lost.

“I hope this time is our time.”

Nilmar gave Al Rayyan the advantage in the 32nd minute, but Jires Ekoko levelled things up just two minutes later. Brosque's goal won it in the 69th minute.

Esteghlal stayed top with a 2-1 win at Al Hilal thanks to two goals in the last 10 minutes.

Al Hilal went ahead through Salem Al-Dosari in the 68th minute, but Pejhman Montazeri equalised in the 80th minute and Arash Borhani got the winner five minutes later.

Kashiwa Reysol made it three wins out of three with a 6-2 thrashing of Group H rival Suwon Bluewings.

The J.League side scored five times in the second half as it ran away with the match.

Junya Tanaka, Masato Kudo and Ryoichi Kurisawa all netted twice, while the host's goals came from Choi Jae-soo and a Stevica Ristic penalty.

Central Coast Mariners moved up to second in the pool with a 2-1 win over Guizhou Renhe, although it remains five points behind Kashiwa.

The Australian side led through Pedj Bojic's goal in the 50th minute, but was pegged back by goalkeeper Matthew Ryan's unfortunate own goal.

But Trent Sainsbury grabbed the winner 10 minutes from time to earn the host its first win in the group.

Guangzhou Evergrande strengthened its position at the top of Group F with a 4-0 thumping of Muang Thong United, all four goals coming after the break.

Dario Conca made the breakthrough in the 51st minute and Luiz Muriqui added a second seven minutes later.

There was no way back for the Thai visitor as an effort from Lin Gao and another Conca strike sealed victory for the Chinese outfit.

Jeonbuk Motors came from behind to win 3-1 at Urawa Red Diamonds.

The host went in front after six minutes through Genki Haraguchi and led at half-time.

But Lee Seung-gi (51), Lee Dong-gook (64) and Eninho (70) netted as the visitor completed a second-half comeback.

In Group B, Lekhwiya knocked Pakhtakor Tashkent off top spot as a late brace from Sebastian Soria earned a 3-1 home win over the Uzbek League side.

Issiar Dia put the host ahead after 21 minutes, but Gulom Urunov levelled five minutes before the break.

Soria struck in the 84th and 90th minutes to win it for Lekhwiya.

Elsewhere, Al-Shabab got its first win as Naser Masood's 81st-minute goal secured a 1-0 win at home to Al-Ittifaq.

The Mariners had looked set for more ACL heartbreak after an unlucky own goal by goalkeeper Mat Ryan equalised Pedj Bojic's spectacular 50th-minute opener at Bluetongue Stadium.

But with just nine minutes left, Michael McGlinchey whipped in a perfect right-wing cross for the charging Sainsbury to head in at the far post.

The 21-year-old fullback's strike secured the Mariners only their second win in three continental campaigns and hoisted them up to four points at the halfway point in Group H, putting them in good shape for next week's return fixture.

"We made it real hard for ourselves," Mariners coach Graham Arnold said.

"We should have been up 3-0."

Things could have been a lot more comfortable had referee Abdullah Baloushi awarded the Mariners a penalty for a blatant fifth-minute handball by Guizhou defender Wu Wei, who missed his attempt at a clearing header and swatted the ball out of the area with his arm.

Guizhou threatened sporadically through Zvjezdan Misimovic, who set up fellow Bosnian international Zlatan Muslimovic for an effort that Ryan smartly blocked at his feet, but the Mariners were the better side and merited their opener when it came soon after the start of the second half.

There seemed little danger when Bojic picked up the ball on the right corner of the penalty area, but he cut inside with a touch of his right foot and hit a dipping shot with his left to score at the far post with goalkeeper Zhang Lie nowhere.

That looked to have set the Mariners on their way but they paid for their profligacy in the 71st minute when they conceded in unlucky fashion.

Josh Rose deflected a wicked free kick from Misimovic onto his own post, from where it rebounded, hit goalkeeper Ryan and rolled agonisingly over the line.

The home side were not to be denied, however, and Arnold's 100th match as Mariners coach ended in glory with Sainsbury's intervention.

Arnold was disappointed his side didn't do more in the last third of the field.

"I've been around in international football long enough to know that you can really get hurt badly if you don't capitalise on your advantage and we didn't do that," he said.

"Fortunately we got the second goal but when it was 1-1 we had to go for it. We opened up quite a bit.

"Three points was a must tonight. It was either three or bust."

Bae Chun-Suk's strike on 17 minutes was enough to put the 2009 winner level on points at the top of Group G with both Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor and Beijing Guoan, who fought out a goalless draw in Tashkent.

But the defeat left J.League champion Hiroshima bottom with no points from three games, and needing a dramatic change in fortunes if it is to reach the round-of-16 as one of the top two teams.

"It is extremely disappointing because our target was just to grab three points. We will go on all out to win all remaining games," said Hiroshima coach Hajime Moriyasu.

FC Seoul survived a late fightback to beat Japanese visitor Vegalta Sendai 2-1 and extend its lead at the top of Group E, while China's Jiangsu Sainty beat Buriram United to rise from bottom to second in the same pool.

Saudi Arabian outfit Al Shabab tops Group A after a 1-0 home win over Tractorsazi Tabriz of Iran.

Qatari side El Jaish is placed third after a 3-1 defeat over UAE's Al Jazira.

Another Saudi team, Al Ahli, stretched its record to a perfect three out of three with a 4-2 win over Iran's Sepahan, while Al Gharafa prevailed by an identical scoreline against Al Nasr with French striker Djibril Cisse opening the scoring in the 24th minute.

The top two from each of eight groups will go into next month's round-of-16 in the trans-continental competition, which then takes a mid-year break and does not wrap up until November.

After wrapping up second place in the A-League, the Mariners have a two-week wait until the play-off semi-finals.

But there's no time to rest, with the first of two back-to-back games against Chinese side Guizhou Renhe that will go a long way to determining whether Graham Arnold's side makes it past the Asian Champions League group stage for the first time.

Arnold has performed an admirable balancing act over the past few weeks, rotating the squad to rest tiring players at the business end of a gruelling A-League season while securing three straight wins to stay in contention for top spot until the final round.

That balancing act is about to get even finer, with Wednesday's match at Bluetongue Stadium crucial both in terms of ACL progress and maintaining form for an April 14 return to domestic action.

After resting eight players for Saturday's 2-1 win over Melbourne Heart, Arnold said he will field his strongest possible side against Guizhou.

"We all know what an important seven days this is for us," Arnold said on Tuesday.

"The fact we've got the weekend off from the A-League, it was important we made the top two to keep our weekend free and we did that quite convincingly so we've got our sole focus on tomorrow night."

Wednesday's match is shaping as a must-win game for Arnold's charges.

The Mariners and Guizhou Renhe are tied at the foot of the standings with just a solitary point each from their opening two games and in danger of being cut adrift over the next two matches.

"Last year I thought we had a successful (ACL) campaign," Arnold said.

"This year we want to be in the same position. We want to be in a position to reach the last 16."

Having watched his team fail to deal with Leandro Domingues in a 3-1 loss to Kashiwa Reysol three weeks ago, Arnold has spelled out to his side the importance of properly handling another talented No.10.

Captain John Hutchinson, who had a stint playing in China, will be detailed to mark former Wolfsburg and Galatasaray midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic.

"He's a hell of a footballer and he's got a great pedigree," Arnold said.

"Him and (Zlatan) Muslimovic, the No.9 and central striker, make two Bosnian internationals and they've obviously got a very good combination and a good understanding.

"We focus 75 per cent on ourselves and 25 per cent on the opposition and he was the main focus of that."

Guizhou can also call upon former Manchester City defender Sun Jihai.

Also in the squad is Jonas Salley, a former Sydney FC, Adelaide United and Gold Coast United player and friend of Hutchinson.

"He's a good friend of mine," Salley said.

"He was a teammate but during the game we're enemies. We want to win. It's going to be like a big derby."

A-League chief Damien de Bohun confirmed that Australian clubs can expect two and a half spots in the 2014 edition of the tournament after a new ruling from the Asian Football Confederation.

Australia was ranked fourth behind Japan, Korea Republic and China in Asia in 2013 and did not meet some elements of the qualifying criteria and consequently lost one of its direct spots.

The AFC also decreed that Australia's sole direct entry would be Central Coast Mariners, which won the 2012 Premiers' Plate.

This forced champion Brisbane Roar to play Thai team Buriram United in a qualifying playoff which it lost on penalties while beaten grand finalist Perth Glory, which thought it was in a playoff, was forced out of the tournament altogether.

”The AFC has ruled that the penalties for Australia's shortcomings in the points criteria and ranking system will be removed for 2014,” De Bohun said.

”So if we retain our current status we will have our two and a half spots back.

”We have had very positive talks with the AFC and it's looking very good.”

The status of the A-League finals came under scrutiny after the AFC decreed that it recognised the Premiers' Plate winner as the champion team.

But this development means that the two automatic spots for 2014 will go to the premier and the champion, while the team finishing second in the regular season will qualify for a playoff.

Alongside Patrick Zwaanswijk, Anderson contained the threat of Kashiwa Reysol’s cunning Brazilian marksman Cléverson Gabriel Córdova - colloquially known as Cléo - admirably in Japan in midweek.

Despite the 3-1 loss to Nelsinho Baptista’s outfit, the astute and articulate Anderson believes the Mariners can take vast amounts of confidence from their proud performance in the land of the rising sun, especially given it was against a side with an annual football budget exceeding $25 million.

“They work off a huge budget, there’s no lie to that,” Anderson said. “But we don’t use that as an excuse. We’ve got a fantastic team and we obviously work within the restraints of what we’ve got at the Mariners, and I think the club does a fantastic job with what we’ve got.”

“They (Kashiwa) are a world-class team and they’ve got some fantastic players. (Leandro) Domingues scored some fantastic goals and as a defender I took a lot away from the game.”

Less than 12 months into a two-season contract with the Mariners, 21-year-old Anderson is fast building a reputation as one of Australia’s top young centre-backs.

Having made an impressive 22 appearances in all competitions in his debut campaign with the Mariners, the former Queensland Academy of Sport product has proven to be a shrewd acquisition by Graham Arnold.

Indeed, Arnold and his assistant Phil Moss scouted Anderson during his debut game for Australia Under-23 against Iraq in Gosford just more than a year ago, and were immediately struck by his leadership qualities and positive presence on the pitch.

And while Anderson’s on-field exploits this season have highlighted his vast potential in the game, Arnold may in fact be more pleased with the former Gold Coast United defender’s capacity to gather lifelong football lessons from difficult defeats, as well as wonderful wins.

“We went over there with all intentions to get a result and in the end we didn’t get what we wanted but we took a lot away from the game,” he said.

“We’re not hiding from the fact there are still plenty of games to go in the competition. We’re still confident that we can get through this stage.”

Speaking of last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium, Anderson said: “We were a little bit disappointed with the effort levels but we’ve moved on quickly – we had to.”

“We had a game on Wednesday night, we have a game on Sunday and after that we’ve got another two games to go, so there’s still plenty to play for. We’re looking ahead.”

Anderson was one of the 50,168 witness to the Mariners’ grand final defeat against Brisbane Roar on penalties at Suncorp Stadium two years ago.

And having played under current Roar mentor Mike Mulvey at Gold Coast United last season, the powerfully built stopper is sure there will be plenty of feeling between the two sides at Bluetongue Stadium on Sunday.

“I was there in the grand stands watching the grand final a few years ago and I felt the emotion for the Mariners players,” he said.

“I am really looking forward to this game on Sunday. I’ve got plenty of mates playing for Brisbane and I’ve played under their head coach Mike Mulvey, so I am really looking forward to their challenge on Sunday and hopefully we can get the result.”

Central Coast Mariners squad: 1. Mathew Ryan (Gk), 2. Daniel McBreen, 3. Joshua Rose, 4. Pedj Bojic, 5. Zachary Anderson, 6. Patrick Zwaanswijk, 7. John Hutchinson (c), 8. Adriano Pellegrino, 9. Bernie Ibini, 11. Oliver Bozanic, 13. Brent Griffiths, 14. Michael McGlinchey, 15. Brad McDonald, 16. Trent Sainsbury, 17. Anthony Caceres, 18. Nick Montgomery, 19. Mitchell Duke, 20. Justin Pasfield (Gk), 21. Mile Sterjovski, 29. Nick Fitzgerald (Five to be omitted)

Brisbane Roar squad: 1. Michael Theo (gk), 3. Shane Stefanutto, 4. Matt Jurman, 5. Ivan Franjic, 7. Besart Berisha, 8. Massimo Murdocca, 9. Stef Nijland, 10. Henrique, 11. Ben Halloran, 13. Jade North, 14. Steven Lustica, 15. James Donachie, 17. Mitch Nichols, 18. Luke Brattan, 19. Jack Hingert, 20. Matt Acton (gk), 22. Thomas Broich (c), 25. George Lambadaridis, 26. Corey Brown (Four to be omitted)

The Mariners coach says his players can draw comfort from the fact that they were far from embarrassed in Wednesday's 3-1 defeat to Japanese outfit Kashiwa Reysol, with two mistakes and the individual brilliance of Brazilian midfielder Leandro Domingues the difference between his team and the J.League outfit.

"It's now what it can give the boys in confidence to go home and finish off the A-League," Arnold said. "The J.League, I've said it before, is the English Premier League of Asian football.

"They bring some top-quality foreigners into Japan because they can afford to pay them well and, when you look at the foreigners, the two they had out there tonight in Cleo as well as Domingues, they're probably a totally different level to anyone in the A-League.

"So it's a great experience to play against those players and they will learn a lot out of it."

The Mariners are desperate for victory over Roar at Bluetongue Stadium after back-to-back defeats bumped them from top spot in the A-League to five points behind Western Sydney Wanderers with just three games to play.

There was at least a hint of a turnaround in form on Wednesday despite two goals and an assist from Domingues leaving the Mariners struggling to qualify with just a single point from their opening two games.

Patrick Zwaanswijk's early goal ended the Mariners' three-game scoreless streak and Zach Anderson almost put the visitor ahead again before half-time only for his header to be stopped on the line by a combination of goalkeeper Takanori Sugeno and defender Masato Fujita.

"We had five 21-year-olds out there and the performance and the fight was good," said Arnold, who left four experienced players at home after lamenting a lack of leadership in last weekend's 2-0 loss to Sydney FC.

"The fight was very good tonight. It was more like I expect. It's an experience for the young boys and they're only going to get better out of it and, if there's been one thing that's been a success this season, it's been the young boys.

"At the end of the day, yes, it hurts to lose but - away from home, against a top side - it's not for us to be embarrassed."

Arnold, though, was embarrassed by his team's fifth straight penalty miss. Zwaanswijk was meant to take a 90th-minute spot kick that would have trimmed the deficit to a single goal but, instead, let Michael McGlinchey drive it straight down the middle at Sugeno.

"It's killing me," Arnold said.

Daniel McBreen should be back on duty if another penalty opportunity arises on Sunday.

Takayuki Morimoto put the home side ahead after 13 minutes before Amad Al Hosni equalised three minutes later.

The host suffered a blow when Leo Lima was sent off after 31 minutes before Al Hosni grabbed his second five minutes later.

Al Gharafa picked up its first points in the group after a 3-1 win over Sepahan.

Djibril Cisse bagged a brace either side of the break to cancel out Mohammad-Ali Ahmadi's 14th minute strike before Majdi Siddiq - who had only been on the pitch for four minutes - ensured the win in injury-time.

Esteghlal is top of Group D after a 2-0 win over Al-Ain.

Jlloyd Samuel put the Iranian side in front after 64 minutes before substitute Farhad Majidi made sure of the points after 73 minutes.

Yasser Al-Qahtani bagged a brace as Al Hilal was a 3-1 winner over Al Rayyan.

The striker gave the home side the lead after 57 minutes before notching a second after 74 minutes.

Hamid Ismaeil got one back with four minutes left, but but Mohammad Al Shalhoub restored Al Hilal's lead a minute later.

The Mariners took an eighth-minute lead at the Kashiwa Soccer Stadium in Chiba when the unmarked Patrick Zwaanswijk met a corner with an unstoppable header, but Leandro Domingues slipped a first-time finish under goalkeeper Mat Ryan to equalise just 13 minutes later.

Domingues then set up Kenta Kano midway through the second half and volleyed in a late third to leave the Mariners, who missed their fifth straight penalty in the 90th minute, with a single point from two Group H matches, five fewer than their table-topping opponent.

The result leaves the 3 April game against China's Guizhou Renhe looking distinctly like a must-win encounter for Graham Arnold's men.

The Mariners created few chances despite looking comfortable for long spells and ended the match with fitness concerns over midfielder Anthony Caceres, who had to be replaced after turning his ankle.

Arnold praised his “kids” who again proved to themselves they can compete on the international stage.

“We had five 21-year-olds out there and the performance and the fight tonight was very good, it was more like I expect,” he said.

“It’s an experience for the younger boys and they’re only going to get better out of it.

“We finished the game with six or seven young boys. Sure, it hurts to lose away from home but against the top side we’re not embarrassed.”

Zwaanswijk's header briefly put the Mariners in the ascendancy but Kashiwa had a good shout for a penalty with Kenta Kano seemingly having his heels clipped as he bore down on goal before equalising through Domingues.

The Mariners only had themselves to blame as captain John Hutchinson gave away possession in midfield.

Hiroyuki Taniguchi gratefully accepted the gift and split the visiting defence with a low pass that Domingues, the J-League's player of the year in 2011, neatly tucked away.

Arnold showed his eagerness for all three points when he sent on Michael McGlinchey for the tiring Adriano Pellegrino for the last half hour but instead watched Kano flick Domingues's deep cross adroitly past Ryan with the outside of his boot.

Domingues then smacked in an 88th-minute volley to settle any nerves before McGlinchey joined the list of unlucky Mariners penalty takers when goalkeeper Takanori Sugeno blocked his driven spot kick.

"The only difference was their number ten, Domingues," Arnold said. "He’s total quality.

"His first finish was a great finish. We gave away two cheap goals, and in international football if you give away possession like that you get punished.

"(But) the third goal from them was absolutely world class."

Central Coast Mariners: 1. Mathew RYAN (Gk), 5. Zachary ANDERSON, 6. Patrick ZWAANSWIJK, 7. John HUTCHINSON (c), 8. Adriano PELLEGRINO (14. Michael MCGLINCHEY 59’), 11. Oliver BOZANIC, 13. Brent GRIFFITHS, 16. Trent SAINSBURY, 17. Anthony CACERES (18. Nick MONTOMGERY 74’), 19. Mitchell DUKE, 29. Nick FITZGERALD (9. Bernie IBINI 70’).

In the other group match Suwon Bluewings was held to a 0-0 draw by Guizhou Renhe.

Yosuke Kashiwagi opened the scoring for the 2007 champion in the eighth minute and Urawa got an added advantage when Muangthong defender Piyaphon Buntao was sent off after collecting his second yellow card, leaving the visitor with 10 men for the last hour.

Kunimitsu Sekiguchi doubled the lead in the 64th minute with a shot from the left side before a header from Genki Haraguchi and an own goal from Thritthi Nonsrichai extended Urawa's lead to 4-0. Siaka Dagno scored a late consolation goal for the Thai champion.

In the other Group F match, striker Muriqui scored a 64th-minute equaliser for Chinese Super League champion Guangzhou Evergrande to secure a 1-1 draw with Jeonbuk Motors of South Korea.

Marcello Lippi's Guangzhou squad, which opened with a 3-0 win over Urawa Reds two weeks ago, leads the group with four points.

There were two 0-0 draws in Group E, with China's Jiangsu Sainty holding J.League club Vegalta Sendai scoreless and Buriram United and K-League champion FC Seoul maintaining their unbeaten starts with a scoreless draw in Thailand.

Seoul opened the tournament with a 5-1 win over Jiangsu Sainty two weeks ago, but was unable to find a breakthrough at Buriram.

"We are not disappointed with the draw. We are very tired but satisfied with the result as this is a very tough away fixture," FC Seoul coach Choi Yong-soo said.

A last-minute goal by Soares Geilson moments after coming on as a substitute ensured Teraktor Sazi FC remained at the top of Asian Champions League Group A with a 3-3 draw at El Jaish.

The Iranian side went ahead through Lopes Flavio Paixao midway through the first half only for Wagner Ribeiro to equalise with the first of his two goals 10 minutes before the break.

Mehdi Seyed-Salehi restored the visitor's lead six minutes after half-time only for El Jaish to again draw level through Martins Adriano's penalty after 67 minutes.

The Qatari side then appeared to have won the game when Ribeiro scored with three minutes remaining only for Geilson to make his dramatic intervention.

The Iran Pro League side leads the group from Al Shabab after it could only manage a 1-1 draw with 10-man Al-Jazira.

Hassan Muath Fallatah put Al Shabab ahead on the stroke of half-time only for Khamis Esmaeel to level after 55 minutes.

Matias Delgado was sent off for Al-Jazira with six minutes remaining but the Saudi Arabian side could not take advantage.

A goal five minutes from time by Jamshid Iskanderov saw Pakhtakor Tashkent go two points clear at the top of Group B with a 1-0 victory at Dubai-based Al-Shabab.

The game was heading towards a goalless draw before Iskanderov struck to give Pakhtakor two wins from two games.

Al-Shabab remains bottom without a point.

Lekhwiya is second after a 0-0 draw at Al-Ittifaq which claimed its first point of the campaign.

That's Central Coast Mariners' attitude as they prepare to take on Kashiwa Reysol in the AFC Champions League (ACL) in Japan on Wednesday night.

Some reassessment could have been excused after back-to-back defeats for the first time in three years cost the Mariners top spot in the A-League, but goalkeeper Matt Ryan says manager Graham Arnold has told his players to stick to what they know best despite selecting an inexperienced squad.

"We've just been going about business as usual, keeping our focus on what we've been doing all year because it's what we've been successful with," Ryan said.

"I think we've been a little bit unlucky the last two weekends and perhaps we were a little bit flat at the weekend losing to Sydney (FC). But the Western Sydney game I thought we created the better chances and we just couldn't put it away.

"Graham's always said the team's in trouble when we're not creating chances and that's just not the case at the moment. So we're just looking to put that final touch on our moves going forward and hopefully we can just put it in the back of the net."

With the A-League's leading striker Daniel McBreen rested from the 17-man squad that arrived in Japan on Monday, the job of breaking a three-game streak without a goal will likely fall to Bernie Ibini, Mitchell Duke and Nick Fitzgerald.

McBreen, Josh Rouse, Mile Sterjovski and Pedj Bojic all started Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Sydney FC but were left at home after Arnold lamented a lack of leadership among his senior players.

The Mariners have missed their last three penalties, including one as they were held to a 0-0 draw in their ACL Group H opener by Suwon Bluewings.

But in a sign that spirits remain high, Ryan said he'd have no problem stepping up despite having his effort saved in the 1-0 defeat to the Western Sydney Wanderers earlier this month.

"If you look at all the mistakes you make as a young kid in football, you've just got to learn from them," Ryan said.

"I'd have no problem stepping up again. If it came to that situation, yeah, I'd put my hand up."

The Mariners are hoping it won't come to that against a team still finding its feet.

Kashiwa Reysol kicked off its season in fine style, winning 1-0 at Guizhou Renhe a fortnight ago and opening the new J.League with a 3-1 in over Kawasaki Frontale, but got a reality check at the weekend when it lost 3-0 at FC Tokyo.

"They've played two games to date so obviously they're fresh but probably we can capitalise on them not having played much football this season," Ryan said.

"We're obviously a bit seasoned and this year already we've played 20-odd games and they also had a difficult loss on the weekend, so hopefully it look a bit out of them and we can get over the top of them.

"They like to play a very quick and open game. Whereas we obviously like to stick to our structure.

"So hopefully our structure can withstand the counter-attack when they come forward in numbers and we can pinch it. They commit too many numbers going forward and we can capitalise on that and hit them on the break."

Arriving in Japan on Monday afternoon, the Mariners will train at the Hitachi Soccer Stadium in Kashiwa on Tuesday.

While two successive A-League defeats saw the long-time ladder leader drop five points behind Western Sydney Wanderers, midfielder Nick Montgomery said the focus was now solely on the ACL challenge.

“We were all bitterly disappointed with the result against Sydney because that’s two weeks on the run now where we’ve probably had the best of both games,” Montgomery said.

“We should of, could of, won both games (but) we ended up with no points. Obviously we’re disappointed with that and losing two back to back.”

“But that’s gone now and we’re all confident and positive that we can still end the season on a high and coming to Japan is a chance to put the league behind us and start afresh.”

The Mariners drew their opening ACL game against Korea Republic’s Suwon Bluewings in Gosford last month and will be keen to take something away from arguably the sternest test of the group stage.

“The fact they are in this competition means they will be a good side,” Montgomery said of Kashiwa.

“We have no doubt it’s going to be a tough game, but we’ve come here prepared.

“We’ve brought a squad of players that are all desperate to play so I am sure whatever team Arnie (Graham Arnold) picks will go out there and give it their best shot against what will be a technically good team and a good test for us.”

Central Coast Mariners squad in Japan is: 1. Mathew RYAN (Gk), 5. Zachary ANDERSON, 6. Patrick ZWAANSWIJK, 7. John HUTCHINSON (c), 8. Adriano PELLEGRINO, 9. Bernie IBINI, 11. Oliver BOZANIC, 13. Brent GRIFFITHS, 14. Michael MCGLINCHEY, 15. Brad MCDONALD, 16. Trent SAINSBURY, 17. Anthony CACERES, 18. Nick MONTGOMERY, 19. Mitchell DUKE, 20. Justin PASFIELD (Gk), 24. Hayden MORTON, 29. Nick FITZGERALD.

It is thought to be the first senior men's football game involving a Japanese team in Nanjing, where invading troops launched a brutal massacre in 1937.

"The players have privately said 'We all know the significance of facing a Japanese team at home in Nanjing'," said the jiangsu.china.com website, the online mouthpiece of the local government.

Relations between the two countries are still heavily coloured by Japan's bloody wartime occupation, including the Nanjing Massacre in which 300,000 civilians and soldiers died, according to China.

Some foreign academics estimate a significantly lower death toll.

In the weeks running up to the game, Chinese media reported there were plans to move it from the 60,000-seater Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre to another location in the eastern province of Jiangsu.

One Chinese report said Japan had asked China to guarantee the safety of the visiting team and its supporters in the city.

Another said Chinese authorities had urged the Japanese fans to use only designated buses to travel to the stadium, and asked visiting Japanese media to stay at the team hotel.

Reports in Japan also say fans attending the match have been warned to keep a low profile.

Up to 13,000 police and security were estimated to have been in place last month when Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande hosted Urawa Red Diamonds.

Some media reported that the Jiangsu game would see even tighter security, but police in Nanjing would not comment on numbers when contacted by AFP.

Supporters have been told to expect strict searches coming into the area of the ground, with banners which have "nothing to do with football" among a range of items that will be confiscated by guards, according to one report.

Only a small number of Japanese fans are expected. About 100 tickets were sold via the club and a travel agent, although more may try to gain entry at the stadium.

On its website, the Japanese embassy in Beijing posted safety advice for fans travelling to China for Wednesday's clash between Beijing Guoan and Japan's Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

It pointed out that "anti-Japan demonstrations and other activities" happened in China last year amid a row over disputed islands, adding: "It is still necessary at present to be careful by refraining from speaking in Japanese in the streets or otherwise making yourself highly visible."

"Please be careful about what you say or do in China inside or outside the match venue, bearing in mind the recent situation," it said.

"When you cheer in the match, please cheer in a good manner without excessively jeering opposing players or supporters, or acting in a way that insults the opposing country."

Oleksandr Pyshur opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time and Fozil Musaev sealed a surprise win for the visitor four minutes from time.

In the other Group G encounter, Korean Republic side Pohang Steelers, the most successful team in Asia, having won this competition on three occasions, was held to a goalless draw by Beijing Guoan.

Al Gharafa, with Tunisian Habib Sadek beginning his second spell as interim coach after the resignation at the weekend of Alain Perrin, opened its Group C campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Al-Ahly.

Mustafa Al-Bassas opened the scoring in the 35th minute for the Saudi Arabian side, who reached last year's final, and Victor Simoes scored a last-minute clincher.

Sepahan enjoyed a routine 3-0 win over Al Nasr.

Albanian striker Xhevahir Sukaj headed the Iranian champion ahead in the 22nd minute and made the game safe in the 81st when he turned home Mohammad Reza Khalatbari's cross from point-blank range after a well-worked short corner.

Omid Ebrahimi rounded off the scoring three minutes from time, turning home a Khalatbari cut-back that had eluded Sukaj, seeking a hat-trick.

Al Rayyan of Qatar fought back from a goal down on three occasions to claim a 3-3 draw against Esteghlal in Group D.

Goals from Jlloyd Samuel and Arash Borhani and Javad Nekounam's penalty put the Iran side in front on three occasions, but they were cancelled out by Rodrigo Tabata's spot-kick, Musa Haroon and former Brazil international Nilmar.

UAE Pro League champion Al-Ain edged past 10-man Saudi outfit Al Hilal, with former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan coming off the bench to seal a 3-1 victory in the final minute.

Abdulla Al-Zouri put Al-Hilal ahead in the ninth minute but Omar Abdulrahman struck just before the half-hour and Alex Brosque scored just after half-time, with the visitor's hopes of claiming a point hit by Salem Al-Dosari's 55th-minute dismissal before Gyan compounded its woes late on.

There was just one goal in the two Group G fixtures, with Cordova Cleo's strike on half-time enough to give Japanaese side Kashiwa Reysol a 1-0 win at Chinese Super League outfit Guizhou Renhe.

Central Coast Mariners was held to a goalless draw by Korea Republic's Suwon Bluewings.

The Mariners, who are Australia's only survivors in this year's AFC Champions League, were held to a 0-0 draw by Korea Republic's Suwon Bluewings.

Arnold's men were the better team and should have won and a frustrating night came to an end when midfielder Nick Montgomery missed a penalty with two minutes left.

”Yes, a hundred per cent,” Arnold replied when asked if the Mariners had acquired the right temperament to take on the best of Asia after two unsuccessful campaigns in 2009 and 2012.

”I honestly think that as a team and as a group of people we are much better than we were last year.

”Last year playing in Asia was a totally new experience not only for our younger boys but for the older ones too.

”We lacked confidence and respected the opposition too much.

”We now have the experience of playing against Asian opposition under Asian referees who control the games differently.

”We will use those experiences we gained last season to go further.

”After tonight's game I have a huge belief that we can match it in Asia that we'll make the last 16.”

The Mariners will be disappointed at not starting their third Asian campaign in a winning way.

They were slick in their approach but lacked sharpness in the front third.

They had enough chances to win the game including the penalty kick.

But Arnold, shortly after kicking the ball away in anger at the final whistle, had composed himself enough to be able to dwell on the positives by the time he faced the media at the post-match press conference.

”We played some quality opposition and totally dominated and dictated the game and it gives you plenty of satisfaction to see that after making four changes nothing seemed to faze the players,” he said.

”Their goalkeeper is a Korea Republic international and made some very good saves while Matty Ryan had hardly anything to do which also was very pleasing. Our defensive structure was excellent too.

”Having said that, we lost two points today.”

Arnold was also asked if the disappointing result would have a negative psychological effect on his players who face Western Sydney Wanderers in the match of the season on Saturday.

With five rounds to go the Mariners hold a slender one-point lead over the Wanderers.

”You're kidding,” he retorted.

”No chance of that happening, not at all. Why (should it), you play a top Asian team worth $35 million and you draw 0-0 with them and outplay them. The performance was great and the confidence is high.”

The Mariners' next ACL match is in two weeks against Kashiwa Reysol, which has taken an early lead in Group H with a 1-0 win at China's Guizhou Renhe.

We must look in the mirror and ask ourselves two hard questions and answer them with all honesty.

Firstly, do Australian fans really want Champions League football and, secondly, is Australia justified in seeking more places in the competition when its elite teams are not well supported by their fans?

The official crowd figure for the match at Bluetongue Stadium (sorry, it's Central Coast Stadium for ACL matches) was 4259 although it looked even smaller.

The Mariners, who were not expecting a large midweek crowd mainly because of the weekend blockbuster against Western Sydney Wanderers that should be a full house, closed the main stand of the stadium and placed the few faithful at the far side of the ground apparently to make it look better on television.

This is a great shame because apart from the fact that Graham Arnold's Mariners deserve better support for the quality football they are serving up this season, they also are Australia's sole representatives in the competition.

And Suwon, let's not forget, is one of Asia's most glamorous clubs not some obscure team from Mongolia.

This is not the most opportune time to examine why such an important match has drawn such a paltry attendance.

The pertinent points that should be made are that after seven years of Asian liaisons Aussie fans, except for a couple of exceptions, have not warmed to the concept of midweek football against teams and players few people would have heard of.

It would appear that Aussie fans would rather pay to watch their team play another A-League team.

Bearing this in mind, it will be hard for Football Federation Australia to fight for more spots in the blue riband event of Asian club football when the Asian Football Confederation and backer World Sports Group see graphic images of quasi-deserted stadia.

So before we start pushing for more spots we should make a better effort of promoting such matches with Asia's elite.

The Mariners' evening did not get any better on the field of play.

The home side had enough chances to win the game against a team that was playing its first competitive game of the season but it spurned them all.

Suwon was there for the taking but the Mariners let it off the hook.

It will be better prepared when the two teams meet on matchday five of the group phase.

The Mariners even missed a late, late penalty by midfielder Nick Montgomery.

The Englishman put his hand up after usual penalty-taker Danny McBreen said he was not up to taking it after failing to convert his last two spot-kicks.

Arnold betrayed his and his players' frustration at the stalemate by kicking the ball away in anger at the final whistle.

It was not a good night in Gosford all round.

The Mariners wasted a glorious chance to take all three points, with midfielder Nick Montgomery seeing a last-gasp spot-kick superbly saved by keeper Jung Sung Ryong.

The Englishman fired his shot to the left only to be denied after defender Kwak Kwang Sun had been panalised for handball in the 87th minute.

It was the third straight penalty the Mariners have missed in games with Daniel McBreen wasting the previous two.

The A-League's highest scoring team failed to find the net in front of a disappointing crowd of 4259 for the first time in six games, having notched 17 in its last five.

With Suwon still fine-tuning its preparations ahead of this weekend's resumption of the K-League season - and Central Coast struggling to find its usual touch - the Group H clash at Bluetongue Stadium never reached any great heights on a frustrating evening for Graham Armnold's men.

The game lacked cohesion and direction but the Mariners, who had won just one of their previous 12 ACL matches, still had enough chances to have taken all three points.

Skipper Michael McGlinchey - fresh from his hat-trick in the 6-2 slaying of Melbourne Victory - could have scored twice in the opening 28 minutes.

In the 12-minute he skipped around Suwon's Australian ace Eddie Bosnar but saw his shot blocked with the goal opening up in front of him.

He had an even better opening when Nick Fitzgerald's cross fell invitingly on the edge of the six-yard box - only to totally miscue his shot much to the relief of the visitor.

McGlinchey's curse in front of goal continued after the break when he again thwarted in the 55th minute.

And it spread to his teammates when substitute Mitchell Duke burst into the six-yard box minutes later - but with his first touch was denied by keeper Sung Ryong when it looked certain he would score.

The closest Suwon came was a Montgomery backpass which needed to be diverted around the post by a scrambling Mat Ryan in.

Controversy surrounded the selection of Suwon's star striker Tese Chong, the North Korean international.

With Suwon fielding its full complement of overseas born players, Tese reportedly only registered to play as a South Korean shortly before the game.

Paraguay striker Lucas Barrios scored in the 16th minute and Brazilian forward Muriqui doubled the lead in the 66th at Guangzhou Sport Center. An own-goal by Keita Suzuki in the first minute of stoppage time added the third.

Marcello Lippi's star-studded squad is aiming to bring the trophy to China for the first time.

Guangzhou tops Group F after Jeonbuk Motors and Muang Thong United drew 2-2.

The Korean club twice took the lead through a Lee Dong-gook penalty in the fifth minute and Kevin Oris' strike in the 77th, but the Thai outfit hit back on both occasions.

Mario Durovski equalised for the first time on the stroke of half-time, while Jung Hyuk's own goal in the final minute rescued a share of the spoils for the hosts.

Another South Korean team, FC Seoul, had an easier evening of things, with two goals apiece from Dejan Damjanovic and Yun Il-lok inspiring them to a 5-1 win over Jiangsu Sainty.

Hamdi Salihi pulled one back for the Chinese visitor, but Mauricio Molina added the gloss to Seoul's already emphatic victory.

Elsewhere in Group E, Osmar Barba Ibanez's equaliser helped Thai side Buriram United - playoff conqueror of Brisbane Roar - to a 1-1 draw at J-League runner-up Vegalta Sendai, which took a 52nd-minute lead through Ryang Yong-gi's penalty.

Lekhwiya of Qatar came back from a goal down to begin its Group B campaign with a 2-1 win over Al Shabab.

The UAE Pro-League side took a shock early lead through Edgar Silva but goals from Sebastian Soria and Youssef M'Sakni gave Lekhwiya a narrow win.

Temurkhuja Abdukholikov scored the only goal of the game as Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor defeated Al Ittifaq of Saudi Arabia.

In Group A, 10-man Tractor Sazi sealed a fourth successive win in all competitions with a 3-1 triumph over Al Jazira of UAE.

Mehdi Seyed-Salehi (37) and Javad Kazemian (60) put the Iranian side two goals to the good and although substitute Ali Mabkhout (79) halved the deficit, Masoud Ebrahimzadeh restored Tractor's two-goal advantage before Mohammad Ebrahimi was sent off late on.

An own goal from Anderson Martins just after the half-hour and a second goal from Omar Al-Ghamdi ensured Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia eased past Qatar side El Jaish 2-0.

ACL Matchday 1 results

Group A
Al Shabab 2 - 0 El Jaish
Tractor Sazi 3 - 1 Al Jazira

Group B
Lekhwiya 2 - 1 Al Shabab
Pakhtakor 1 - 0 Al Ittifaq

Group E
FC Seoul 5 - 1 Jiangsu Sainty
Vegalta Sendai 1 - 1 Buriram United

Group F
Guangzhou Evergrande 3 - 0 Urawa Reds
Muang Thong United 2 - 2 Jeonbuk Motors

While the A-League-leading Mariners are just a few weeks away from finals combat, Suwon is just emerging from their pre-season.

"We're hoping that they are a little bit rusty," Arnold said on Tuesday.

"We know that they haven't played a competition match yet this season and we're 22 rounds into the competition, so hopefully we can catch them a little bit short.

"Our performance against Melbourne Victory on Saturday night was top class and we're going to need to play like that again for us to compete with them."

While Suwon has a new coach and hasn't started its domestic campaign, Arnold is confident he has uncovered some deficiencies.

"We've highlighted to our team their strengths and we've seen a few weaknesses and we have to try and capitalise on those," Arnold said.

Suwon's Australian defender Eddy Bosnar didn't appear concerned by his team's lack of match practice.

"Tomorrow is our first game of the season but I think that, tactically, our coaches have done really well in the training camp," Bosnar said.

"They have scouted Central Coast really well - we've watched a bit of Central Coast.

"We respect them but we're not scared of them."

Arnold will rest veteran defender Patrick Zwaanswijk, while captain and midfielder John Hutchinson will miss the game after suffering a tight groin near the end of the win over Melbourne Victory.

Zac Anderson will come into the starting side for Zwaanswijk with Oliver Bozanic tipped to take Hutchinson's midfield role, while Mile Sterjovski could return to the Mariners squad after being was rested for the Victory encounter.

The ACL clash is sandwiched between two huge A-League games against Melbourne Victory - which the Mariners won 6-2 - and Saturday's showdown against second-placed Western Sydney Wanderers.

"The games coming up are important as well but the main focus is only tomorrow night," Mariners midfielder Michael McGlinchey said on Tuesday.

The Mariners host Korea Republic side Suwon - home to Australian defender Eddy Bosnar - in the first match of its ACL Group H campaign just three days before they entertain WSW in a match that should have a major bearing on the destination of the Premiers' Plate.

Arnold will rest experienced players John Hutchinson and Patrick Zwaanswijk for the ACL clash to have them fit and ready for the A-League clash on Saturday.

Arnold said this does not mean that he is not treating the Suwon match seriously.

"I've told the boys today that international football is a privilege and an honour," Arnold said.

"There are many players who go through their entire careers and never get the chance to play international football.

"The match comes at a busy period for us but it is no excuse to lower our standards and it is something we have to accept because that is football for you.

"I know that there are other teams that would love to be in our position, where we are representing not only our club but our country.

"So we are very happy and confident and we going for it because we have embraced the Champions League.

"Saturday's match against the Wanderers is hugely important but we'll start thinking about that at eleven on Wednesday night.

"Our main priority at the moment is beating Suwon."

While happy to have his side represent the A-League in Asia, Arnold expected some help in the scheduling of key matches from the powers that be.

"The only negative is that I would have expected us to play on the Sunday not Saturday after playing in Asia in midweek," Arnold said.

"Football Federation Australia knew the Champions League draw a long time ago and they knew we qualified a year ago so the fixture could have been changed well in advance.”

Arnold said Hutchinson and Zwaanswijk would not face Suwon for different reasons.

”Patrick is 38 years old and needs to be rested for Saturday and Hutch suffered a tight groin injury in the last 10 minutes of the Victory match so he won't play but he'll be okay for the Wanderers,” Arnold said.

”Zac Anderson and Oliver Bozanic will come in. They have done a good job this season when called upon.

”Everybody else is fit and available and raring to go.”

With five rounds to go Arnold's team is leading the competition with a one-point advantage over the Wanderers.

Any doubts Arnold may have had about his players' ability to retain the blistering form they have shown for most of the season were dispelled at the weekend when Melbourne Victory went to Gosford and was walloped 6-2.

It was very satisfying for Arnold to see his men play such good football at such a late stage of the season, although he said he was not surprised.

"I think we had a down period that included a lot of travel because it is difficult to play a whole season at a high level," he said.

"In the last few rounds I could see that we were coming back although we lost 2-1 in Perth.

"But without taking anything away from Glory, who were up for the game and were the better team, there were a few reasons behind that loss, not least the fact that there was a bit of a virus that ran through most of the team.

"That's why it was important to show against Victory that our performance in Perth was out of character.

"I think we showed that because we put on a very good performance.

"I sincerely believe that we have played the best football in the league this season and the 6-2 victory was no fluke.

"I can assure you because it was one of our better performances.

"We beat Sydney 7-2 and Wellington 5-0, remember, and our home record speaks for itself … 28 points from a possible 30."

The other teams in the Mariners' group are Kashiwa Reysol of Japan and Guizhou Renke of China.

Unfortunate to lose hosting rights for a sudden-death game it never expected to play, Roar produced a limp showing in the Thailand heat.

While luck and desperation kept the host scoreless for 120 minutes, the sudden-death play-off was epitomised by Brisbane failing to convert its three penalty attempts.

Buriram goalkeeper Sivaruck Tedsungnoen saved shots by Thomas Broich, Besart Berisha and James Meyer while Roar stopper Michael Theo could not continue his regulation time heroics.

It was another major blow in a forgettable season for Brisbane, occurring the same day skipper Matt Smith was ruled out for the rest of its title defence.

The loss darkens the cloud over coach Mike Mulvey's future at the club beyond this season and leaves Central Coast Mariners as the sole Australian club in the ACL group stages.

Roar sits eighth on the A-League ladder and looks a mere shadow of the dominant, entertaining team which won back-to-back titles in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012.

Brisbane failed to win any of its six ACL group matches last year and never looked like changing its fortunes at Thunder Castle Stadium.

Buriram, the Thai FA Cup champion, now joins FC Seoul, Japan's Vegalta Sendai and Chinese club Jiangsu Sainty in Group E.

Roar could thank Theo for being level after regulation time after a particularly dominant first half by the home side.

Theo skilfully saved the A-League champion's bacon twice in the opening quarter-hour and was also in the action when he inadvertently knocked out team-mate Ivan Franjic.

Buriram constantly pressured Brisbane into error and it was dangerous on counter-attack but couldn't convert a string of chances.

It could have had the match parcelled up early in extra-time when captain Suchao Nutnum only had Theo to beat in the box but wasted the golden chance by putting it wide.

Roar worked its way into the match in the second half as Luke Brattan, Stef Nijland and Ben Halloran impressed, but captain Broich and A-League golden boot Berisha again failed to make an impact.

Mike Mulvey's side takes on Buriram in Thailand on Wednesday evening with a place in Group E of the 2013 ACL up for grabs, which also contains K-League champion FC Seoul, J.League runner-up Vegalta Sendai and Chinese Super League runner-up Jiangsu Sainty.

"We've got players who have played all over the world and I think that experience will count for a lot when we come up against a very good Buriram United," Mulvey said.

"Experience is very important but also, desire and enthusiasm is equally important and this squad has that too."

Club captain Matt Smith (hip injury) misses out.

Brisbane Roar squad: 1. Michael Theo (gk), 3. Shane Stefanutto, 4. Matthew Jurman, 5. Ivan Franjic, 7. Besart Berisha, 8. Massimo Murdocca, 9. Stefan Nijland, 11. Ben Halloran, 13. Jade North, 14. Steven Lustica, 15. James Donachie, 17. Mitch Nichols, 18. Luke Brattan, 19. Jack Hingert, 20. Matthew Acton, 21. James Meyer, 22. Thomas Broich, 25. George Lambadaridis, 26. Corey Brown

Hirofumi Watanabe’s 35th minute goal was all that separated the two teams at Tokyo’s National Stadium.

Kashiwa participated in the 2012 version of Asia’s top club competition, making it through to the second round of the tournament.

The “Sun Kings” only bowed out of the competition to eventual ACL winner Ulsan Hyundai of Korea Republic in the round of 16, losing 3-2 at the Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium.

Kashiwa's triumph in Tokyo means the men from Chiba join the Mariners, Korea's Suwon Bluewings and China's Guizhou Renhe in Group H of the 2013 ACL.

The Mariners commence their 2013 continental campaign in Gosford against Suwon on Wednesday 27 February and will travel to Japan for match day 2 against Kashiwa on Wednesday 13 March.

Kashiwa play at the 16,000 capacity Kashiwa Soccer Stadium and finished the 2012 domestic season in sixth place. The club was crowned J.League champion in 2011.

The draw in Kuala Lumpur has pitted Brisbane against FA Cup winner Buriram United in a one-off qualifier at home on Saturday 9 February for the right to play in the competition proper.

If successful, Brisbane would play in Group E of the 32-team competition along with Korea Republic champion FC Seoul, Japanese runner-up Vegalta Sendai and Chinese runner-up Jiangsu Sainty.

Central Coast Mariners, which received direct access after winning the Premiers' Plate, will face the winner of Japan's Emperor's Cup which will be decided on 1 January, Guizhou Renhe of China and Suwon Bluewings of Korea Republic in Group H.

Brisbane coach Rado Vidosic was still trying to come to terms with the massive problem of having to play Buriram and front up against Sydney FC in an A-League match at Allianz Stadium the day after.

The unavailability of Suncorp Stadium on 9 February due to a rugby league all-stars match has augmented Brisbane's woes.

The club is expected to have urgent talks with the Asian Football Confederation, Football Federation Australia, the Thailand Football Association and Buriram in a bid to find a solution.

”Clearly we cannot possibly play two games in two days so something will have to be done,” Vidosic said.

”We will now wait for the official notification from the AFC and see what happens.

”Our first task is to get past a tough opponent before we even start thinking of the competition proper.

”The good thing is we are playing at home so we have a good opportunity and of course this time we will have the experience of the 2012 campaign behind us.”

Mariners coach Graham Arnold expressed his club's determination to reach the knockout phase of the competition for the first time after its failed attempts in 2009 and 2012.

“The experience of playing in the 2012 event has us better equipped to deal with the demands of the tournament next year,” Arnold said.

“All the teams in the Champions League are from tough competitions and it will be a great test for our players to see if we can emerge from our group.

“Clubs in China, Korea and Japan have big budgets and big squads but having dealt with the dual demands of the A-League finals and the Champions League last year, we believe we can perform strongly in Asia this time.

“We are looking forward to the challenge and our goal is to make the second round of the competition."

Two teams from each of the eight groups will proceed to the round of 16, which this year will be played on a home-and-away basis.

The full draw is the following:

Group A: Al Shahab (Saudi Arabia), Al Jazira (UAE), Tractor Sazi (Iran), El Jaish (Qatar).

Group B: Lekhwiya (Qatar), Al Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia), Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan), Sabaye Qom (Iran) or Al Shabab Al Arabi (UAE).

Group C: Sepahan (Iran), Al Gharafa (Qatar), Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia), Al Nasr (UAE) or Lokomotive (Uzbekistan).

Group D: Al Ain (UAE), Esteghlal (Iran), Al Rayyan (Qatar), Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia).

Group E: FC Seoul (Korea Republic), Brisbane Roar (Australia) or Buriram United (Thailand), 
Vegalta Sendai (Japan), 
Jiangsu Sainty (China).

Group F: Guangzhou Evergrande (China), Jeonbuk Motors (Korea Republic), Muangthong United (Thailand), Urawa Reds (Japan).

Group G: Sanfreecce Hiroshima (Japan), Beijing Guoan (China), Pohang Steelers (Korea Republic), Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan).

Group H: Central Coast Mariners (Australia), Emperor's Cup winner (Japan), Guizhou Renhe (China), Suwon Bluewings (Korea Republic).

Postecoglou, who led Brisbane Roar to the past two championships, said if it was up to him his former club would be fiercely protesting the AFC's decision to strip it of automatic AFC Champions League (ACL) qualification.

Instead, the only Australian club granted direct entry to next year's Asian competition is last season's Premier Central Coast Mariners, after the AFC last week announced a change in criteria.

Previously Roar, as reigning champion, would also have been guaranteed a spot, but now must earn its way through qualifying.

Postecoglou believes Football Federation Australia (FFA) should be taking up the fight and said if he was still leading Brisbane, he would want to boycott the qualifying competition.

"If I was still at Brisbane I'd be pushing for it," Postecoglou told reporters. "I just don't get it.

"We put blood, sweat and tears into everything to try to win a competition.

"What's that competition? I'm not really sure at the moment.

"I'm not sure who's going to get acknowledged at the end of the year.

"So I reckon somebody ought to come out and tell us.

"We're in a race at the moment and I can't see the finish line."

Postecoglou said FFA's acceptance of the decision left A-League clubs confused as to what was the top honour - the championship or Premiers' Plate.

"There's two different finish lines and everyone's got an opinion," he said.

"In my mind the champion for our league has always been the one who wins the grand final.

"I am totally bemused as to how we can take somebody else's definition of that.

"It's pretty simple in my mind. I just want to know what competition I'm in and what I'm going for.

"Because otherwise I don't want to be 78 and in a retirement home and having to ring up people to see if I won something or not."

Last season's grand finalist was the big loser after the AFC's shock announcement that only two A-League teams - not three like last year - could contest the 2012-13 ACL.

Under the AFC's new criteria, the 2011-2012 premier Central Coast is a guaranteed starter while defending champion Brisbane Roar must qualify.

That ensures Glory has been overlooked for the prestigious ACL despite verbal guarantees from AFC officials after its controversial 2-1 A-League grand final loss to Roar last April.

Sage told AAP that he was so sure of its participation that he had spent up to $70,000 on a new jersey design and booked flights and accommodation for Glory officials to attend the official ACL draw in Kuala Lumpur on December 6.

"I am gutted," he said.

"We hosted a delegation of eight AFC representatives two months ago and were told we were in.

"And we have been told unofficially that we have been in for the last eight months.

"We had spent up to $70,000 on a different kit for the ACL - that's an extra player for next season that we could have spent that money on.

"And we had a new sponsor on board just for the ACL.

"So to be told a week before the draw Australia have lost a spot is bizarre."

Sage said the first he had heard of the AFC's intentions was via the internet.

"Someone alerted me on a blog that Australia may get a team cut. I thought if there was a possibility of that surely they would have alerted us," he said.

"So that's what gets me, no one has flagged this. I am in a bit of shock at the moment.

"Who makes these decisions and why are they made?"

Sage said he had spent a "please explain" to Football Federation Australia in a bid to appeal the AFC's call.

"The shuffling from one year to the next in determining whether you are in or out doesn't give club owners any confidence," he said.

"What has the A-League or the FFA done wrong?"

A-League teams' success - or lack thereof - may have contributed to the AFC's surprise call.

Only three A-League teams have made the round of 16 in the competition's history - and Adelaide United is the best placed after making the 2008 final.

Even two-time champion Roar - considered the A-League team primed to take out the ACL - bombed at the group stage last season.

"We are disappointed about the dilution of our places. But our main focus is ensuring we have a sustainable A-League," an FFA spokesman said.

Even Sage conceded Roar should be filthy about not being guaranteed an ACL spot but Brisbane coach Rado Vidosic was diplomatic on Friday.

"It is out of our hands. Whatever we need to do we are up for it," he said.

"From an Australian point of view (it is unfair) but from everywhere else in the world there are no grand finals just championships (minor premiers)."

Earlier in the day the AFC Executive Committee formally voted to alter the structure of the 2013 AFC Champions League, a move which reduced Australia’s participation to one direct and one play-off spot.

Several other nations which had expressed a hope of participating in the region’s premier club competition, Vietnam, Singapore, India and Jordan, were snubbed entirely as the powerful political bloc from West Asia held sway.

As a result Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Korea Republic and China have four direct places with five other nations granted entry.

Prince Ali, viewed by many as a reformer, had long been pushing for a more open and inclusive ACL and in October hosted a discussion with experts in competitions and marketing from Asia, Europe, South America, North America and Oceania.

As a result of that he submitted a proposal to the AFC administration earlier in the week that included the need for:

:: A more inclusive Champions League that enables participation to act as an incentive to promote development and professionalism

:: Consideration of the need for a new competition format with a wider play-off opportunity for more teams

:: Sporting merit and club licensing to be the main criteria for participation

After the Executive Committee voted to limit participation to a select few nations, Prince Ali expressed his "deepest disappointment at the decision regarding ACL participation".

“If resistance to inclusion and growth remains, then there is nothing to be blamed but politics of members protecting their own interests.

"I look forward to a football driven debate on the matter. Let us work together to give a fair chance to all."

So disappointed was the Jordanian that he chose to make a major statement of his own by snubbing the glitzy awards night, a move that caused a stir among the gathered Asian football hierarchy.

Football Federation Australia issued a statement on Thursday night confirming that the Asian Football Confederation executive committee had allocated Australia one automatic position and one qualifying position for the 2013 event.

In previous years there were two automatic spots, plus an additional qualifying spot in 2012.

Head of the A-League, Damien de Bohun said that the FFA was disappointed at the outcome and would be looking to restore the previous ACL allocation in the future.

“It’s important for us to maintain a strong presence in the ACL through the Central Coast Mariners’ direct participation and the strong prospect of Brisbane Roar also qualifying," De Bohun said.

“Our real focus and that of our clubs this year is the A-League, the consolidation of the 10 team competition and continuing to build on the exciting start to this season.”

Australia fell short of the AFC’s required benchmark score in its review of the competition with the main sticking point being the fact that the A-League is not run as a separate entity from the federation.

As a result only one club – in all probability premiership winner Central Coast Mariners – will now gain entry into the tournament proper.

A second club, almost certainly grand final winner Brisbane Roar, will then have to enter the qualification tournament against a team from Thailand, adding substantially to the financial burden facing ACL clubs.

Unlike last season there will be no third slot available, meaning Perth Glory is likely to be left empty-handed unless the AFC’s executive committee amends the recommendation on Thursday.

Speaking to The World Game in Malaysia, FFA chief executive David Gallop said the move came as a surprise.

“The acknowledgment today of the ACL allocation certainly produced some odd results,” he said.

“We’ve raised concerns not in relation to subjective determinations that were part of the decision but also at the unintended consequence of that application and we believe we’ve got forceful points to make when considered by Exco.”

Moreover Gallop questioned the reasoning behind the move given that Australia will host the AFC’s flagship competition, the Asian Cup, in just over two years.

“Participation in the ACL is an important part of the build-up to the Asian Cup in 2015 both in Australia and throughout Asia and on a common sense level it doesn’t stack up to have Australia’s presence diluted.”

In a move orchestrated by a block of West Asian nations, India, Jordan, Vietnam and Singapore are understood to be the other nations that have lost out in the new allocation of spots.

The World Game understands the Ad-Hoc Committee overseeing the allocation of slots for the tournament has proposed that Australia's contingent be made to qualify for the regional showpiece. This year the A-League had two direct spots and one qualification spot.

Senior members of the Asian Football Confederation, including Football Federation Australia (FFA) chief executive David Gallop, are meeting at AFC House in Malaysia this week to discuss a wide range of issues affecting the game.

The proposal for Australia's teams to qualify for the ACL would mean Brisbane Roar, Central Coast Mariners and Perth Glory could face a tricky route just to gain entry to the group stage.

There are several other nations which have also been affected, with Thailand set to lose its direct slot and Indonesia likely to lose its play-off place.

A spokesperson from FFA confirmed the AFC’s Competitions Committee will meet on Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur, with member participation in the ACL to be discussed among a range of other issues.

The governing body refused to make an official comment until a decision is made by the AFC on Thursday.

The South Korean side took advantage of playing the final in its home city and delivered the trophy before a crowd of 42,153 at the Ulsan Munsu Stadium.

It became the third K-League club in four years to lift the title, with Kim Ho-gon's team joining Pohang Steelers and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma who won the title in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Al-Ahli was without the suspended Mansour Al Harbi and the injured Kamil Al Mousa against a side which had scored 24 goals in 11 games to reach the final.

Ulsan added to that tally with goals from Kwak Tae-hwi, Rafinha and Kim Seung-yong.

Kwak opened the scoring after 13 minutes when he headed in from a free-kick.

Midway through the second half Brazilian striker Rafinha extended the advantage for the home side, and Kim's fierce half-volley wrapped the victory up with 15 minutes remaining.

Ulsan started the game stronger but Rafinha and Kwak both missed the target before Kim's free-kick was headed past Abdullah Almuaiouf by Kwak.

With Karel Jarolim's side unable to break out of its own half, Ulsan continued to pile on the pressure.

Ulsan's Colombian midfielder Juan Estiven Velez twice missed the target from long distance before Al-Ahli's Motaz Al Mosa shot over seven minutes before the break in a rare attack by the visitor.

Al-Ahli looked better at the beginning of the second half but Ulsan doubled the lead with 67 minutes gone when Velez's cross was headed across goal by Kim Shin-wook and Rafinha beat three defenders to the loose ball and forced it over the line.

Ulsan completed the scoring when Kim Seung-yong fired in a low shot, the victory earning Ulsan a place in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan next month.

The officiating group includes assistant referees Luke Brennan and Paul Cetrangolo with Strebre Delovski fourth official.

Saturday night's final between Ulsan Hyundai (Korea Republic) and Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia) will be played at Ulsan Musu Football Stadium in South Korea.

FFA Director of Referees Ben Wilson commended the call-up and regards the appointments as a strong endorsement of the refereeing advancement programs in place in Australia.

“This is a fantastic endorsement of the hard work and professional standards our referees are reaching and the regard by which they are held internationally,” Wilson said./p>

“To have a full team of referees for this match shows Australia is at the forefront of refereeing in Asian and will be fantastic moment in each of their careers.”/p>

The team will depart Australia on Thursday.

Kim Shin-wook put the host ahead in the 53rd minute, before Lee Kuen-ho sealed the win 16 minutes from time, confirming Ulsan as the fourth South Korean finalists in four years.

Al-Ahli also reached its first ACL final with a 2-0 win over Jeddah rival Al-Ittihad.

Two-time winner Al-Ittihad had taken a 1-0 advantage from the opening leg, which was also played at the shared Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, but that was wiped out in the opening 45 minutes as its city rival dominated.

Al-Ahli twice hit the woodwork before Moataz Al-Musa headed in a corner a minute before half-time.

Brazilian midfielder Victor Simoes then claimed the winner six minutes from time to send his side though to the 10 November final.

The Uzbekistan side was beaten 3-1 in Tashkent in the first leg of the semi-final and travels to last season's K-League runner-up as an outsider to make it into next month's final.

"Our chances of reaching the final are now slim but we will do our best in the second leg to recover," Kasimov told www.fifa.com

"Although it will be a tough game at Ulsan, we must put the first-leg disappointment behind us. This is our last chance and we should do our best."

Bunyodkor can take encouragement from the fact it created a host of chances in the home leg, with Jasur Khasanov even missing a penalty, but its first task at the Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium is likely to be the containment of Ulsan's attacking duo Rafinha and Kim Shin-wook.

The other last-four tie is more delicately poised with Al Ittihad leading Jeddah rival Al Ahli 1-0 heading into the clash at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium - also the venue for the first leg.

Al Ittihad boss Raul Caneda can welcome back defender Redha Tukar from suspension and will hope Naif Hazazi can continue his prolific form.

Hazazi scored the only goal in the first leg and now has eight in the competition.

Al Ahli boss Karel Jarolim is optimistic midfielder Yasser Al Fahmi will be fit after struggling with injury but both defender Kamel Al Mousa and midfielder Adulrahim Jezawi could miss out due to groin problems.

Things looked bright for the home side when Jovlon Ibrokhimov gave it a sixth-minute lead at JAR Stadium, finishing first time after Jan Kozak pulled the ball back.

But Rafinha's shot from the edge of the area beat home keeper Ignatiy Nesterov at his near post on the half-hour to leave the scores level at the interval and Ulsan struck twice more in the second half, both from set-pieces by Kim Seung-yong.

The midfielder's 53rd-minute corner was headed in at the near post by Kim Shin-wook and 19 minutes later, Lee Keun-ho glanced a free kick over the head of Nesterov to give the Tigers a two-goal lead to take into next week's return leg.

The Saudi Arabia international striker was on the spot with 66 minutes gone at the PAF Stadium, ensuring Raul Caneda`s side will take a 1-0 lead into the second leg.

In front of a 24,000 strong crowd the home side made the most of the running with Hazazi going close to a second in the dying minutes.

Taisir Al Jassem had the best effort for Al-Ahly midway through the opening 45 minutes, and the Red Devils will be pleased to have kept their heads above water ahead of the second leg.

Having fought on the domestic stage for three-quarters of a century, the stakes are unprecedented for the Jeddah teams with the winner over two legs reaching a final against Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor or Korea Republic's Ulsan Hyundai.

The two clubs are among the most venerable in Asia - Al Ittihad was formed in 1929, and Al Ahli eight years later - and they have been frequent foes in Saudi Arabia's league and cup competitions since their first clash in 1938.

It is not the first time that two clubs from the same country have been drawn together in the last four: South Korea's Jeonbuk Motors and Ulsan Hyundai met in 2006, and Japan's Gamba Osaka and Urawa Reds clashed in 2008.

But none of those other teams shared an age-old rivalry like Al Ittihad and Al Ahli have developed over the years.

Al Ittihad, who is the nominal home side for the first leg at the shared Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, has the richer history with AFC Champions League wins in 2004 and 2005, plus eight domestic league titles.

By contrast, Al Ahli has only two league titles to its name, but it has held the edge in recent times after it beat Al Ittihad to win the King's Cup in 2011 and finished second in the league behind Al Shabab earlier this year.

Al Ittihad was fifth, its worst league performance in 14 years, but its form has picked up dramatically since the appointment of Raul Caneda as head coach in February.

Under the Spaniard, Al Ittihad was unbeaten in 22 games in all competitions until this month's 2-1 away loss to Guangzhou Evergrande in the second leg of the Asian quarter-finals - although it still advanced 5-4 on aggregate.

The Tigers will have to cope with the absence of veteran defender Redha Takar, who picked up yellow cards in each of the quarter-final games.

While there will be little travel involved in the semi-final, whose first leg was brought forward two days because of Eid celebrations in Saudi Arabia, the winner faces a trip to either Uzbekistan or South Korea for next month's final.

Bunyodkor emerged from a hard-fought quarter-final against Australia's Adelaide United, which went to extra-time before it eventually prevailed 5-4 on aggregate.

Formed only in 2005, the four-time Uzbek champion is keen to add the continental title to its trophy haul after going out in the semi-finals in 2008 and the quarter-finals a year later.

The team coached by Uzbek legend Mirdjalal Kasimov has done well this year against Korean clubs in the AFC Champions League, beating Pohang Steelers twice in the group stage and eliminating Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the round of 16.

But Ulsan is unbeaten in this year's competition and Kim Ho-Gon's side impressed in its quarter-final against Al Hilal as it hammered the Saudi club 4-0 in the second leg to reach the last four for the first time since 2006.

K-League clubs have traditionally done well in the AFC Champions League and Ulsan will be looking to become the fourth consecutive Korean side to appear in the final.

Bunyodkor will be without midfielder Anvar Gafurov, who was sent off in the second leg of the quarter-final against Adelaide.

The World Cup and UEFA Champions League-winning coach, 64, has seen it all, but even he was moved to reflect on football's capricious nature after a late strike knocked Guangzhou out of the quarter-finals.

"Football can be very cruel at times and unfair," a downcast Lippi said.

"We have worked all year to become better and to reach our objectives and we came to the ACL with one objective.

"But I believe we should have passed this round. We played well and had plenty of chances to score."

The Chinese champion lost the first leg against Al Ittihad 4-2 in Jeddah but it looked as if it was through on the away goals rule when ex-Borussia Dortmund striker Lucas Barrios and Dario Conca put it 2-0 up in the first half.

But Fahad Al Muwallad's deflected shot on 78 minutes put the two-time winner from Saudi Arabia into the semi-finals at the expense of Lippi's team, which was making its tournament debut.

The defeat compounds Lippi's difficulties after Guangzhou, which coasted to the Chinese Super League title last year, slipped off the top spot - the position it occupied when he arrived in May.

With just four games left this season, the Italian is targeting a league and cup double to placate his wealthy paymasters at Guangzhou, who showed a ruthless side when they dispatched Lippi's successful predecessor Lee Jang-Soo.

"Now we have two more objectives to go for and that's the Chinese Super League and Chinese FA Cup, and we will put in all our efforts to reach those objectives," said the former Juventus boss.

Guangzhou has splashed out on foreign signings including midfielder Conca - reportedly one of the world's best-paid players - and Paraguay striker Barrios, and had put a premium on securing Asian glory.

The club also won a rule-change by the Chinese Football Association allowing it to have more foreign players on its roster, boosting its chances in the continental club competition.

China has been waiting 22 years for an Asian club title since Liaoning's triumph in 1990, and Guangzhou was the first to reach the ACL quarter-finals in six years.

Chinese football has been rocked by major corruption scandals in recent years but big investment, including Shanghai Shenhua's signings of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, is intended to revamp its image and standards.

However China remains an unpredictable arena as seen when Shenhua sacked coach Jean Tigana after just a handful of games in April, and reportedly threatened to withhold Drogba and Anelka's pay in a boardroom dispute.

Lippi will lead Guangzhou into the two-legged Chinese FA Cup final next month.

Its battle to dislodge Jiangsu Sainty, Super League leader on goal difference, begins this weekend at home against Shandong Luneng.

Adelaide, which headed into the second-leg quarter-final clash needing goals after last month's 2-2 draw, was reduced to 10 men in the dying stages of regular time when Fabian Barbiero was given his second yellow card.

With the sides locked two goals apiece and 30 minutes to play, few gave the travel-weary Reds any hope of advancing to the semi-finals.

The visitor was competitive after the restart and its confidence was boosted after 10 minutes when Bunyodkor defender Anvar Gafurov was given his marching orders for a second yellow card.

The host, which had dominated possession and cut the Reds through the middle with some clinical passing for the majority of the game, was suddenly looking shaky and the pace of the game slowed.

But Adelaide was unable to make the most of it, Bunyodkor substitute Alibobo Rahmatullaev pouncing in the 114th minute to give his side the lead for the first time.

Lutfulla Turaev, who scored the first equaliser for the home side, floated a pinpoint pass to Rahmatullaev at the back post and his header went sizzling past Reds goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic.

United finished the spiteful match with nine men, defender Iain Fyfe collecting his second yellow for an ungainly lunge on Jasur Hasanov.

The Reds' bid to reach the Champions League final for the second time in four years started brightly with Iain Ramsay firing from the cusp of the box and opening the scoring, as he did in last month's first leg in Adelaide.

It proved to be the match's turning point.

Bunyodkor was sparked to life and would have had a couple of goals by half-time if not for Galekovic, who was indomitable between the posts and unlucky to concede three goals in the match.

Skipper Viktor Karpenko and Hasanov ran rings around Adelaide, as the host attacked regularly and with purpose.

Galekovic needed to pull out a fantastic double stop in which he parried Jan Kozak's long-range effort and instinctively deflected Kamoliddin Murzoev's follow-up.

He was undone in the 13th minute when a looping ball from Karpenko found the head of Turaev in the box.

Galekovic worked hard to keep the terms level at half-time, twice stopping Murzoev when the striker only had the keeper to beat.

Substitute Jeronimo Neumann put the visitor back in front in the 63rd minute, but Bunyodkor answered through Akmal Shorahmedov and continued to press, including an impressive bicycle-kick volley from Murzoev that tested the woodwork.

Adelaide must now rebuild for its opening A-League clash with the Jets in Newcastle on Sunday.

Bunyodkor will play South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai in the semi-finals after it completed a 5-0 aggregate rout of Saudi former champion Al Hilal with a 4-0 win on the night in Riyadh.

Brazilian Rafinha put the tie out of sight with goals in the 22nd and 26th minutes while Kim Shin-wook and Lee Keun-ho added second-half strikes as the visitor finished off the contest in style.

Adelaide United line-up: 1.Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk) (c), 4.Jon McKAIN, 6.CASSIO, 9.Sergio VAN DIJK (2.Osama MALIK 90+1’), 10.Dario VIDOSIC, 14.Cameron WATSON, 16.Daniel BOWLES, 17.Iain RAMSAY (10.Bruce DJITE 113’), 18.Fabian BARBIERO, 22.Iain FYFE, 23.Evan KOSTOPOULOS (21.Jeronimo NEUMANN 61’).

Two-time champion Al Ittihad had to rely on Fahad Al Muwallad's 78th-minute deflected strike to send it through 5-4 on aggregate against Chinese champion Guangzhou Evergrande.

Evergrande, coached by former World Cup-winning boss Marcello Lippi, had been minutes away from qualifying after Lucas Barrios (19th) and a 35th-minute Dario Conca penalty cancelled out Al Ittihad's 4-2 first-leg lead.

That would have been enough to send the Chinese through on away goals but Al Muwallad popped up late, following a rare attack from the Saudi side, to rob the hosts.

"Football can be very cruel at times and unfair," Lippi told the official Asian Football Confederation website www.the-afc.com.

"We have worked all year to become better and to reach our objectives and we came to the ACL with one objective. But I believe we should have passed this round.

"We played well and had plenty of chances to score. Unfortunately we have been eliminated and I want to thank the players for their efforts in this game, they have been playing like a team."

Al Ahli was far more comfortable as it romped to a 4-1 second-leg success over Sepahan and progress after the opening tie was goalless.

Al Ahli's hopes of going through were boosted by the dismissal of Sepahan goalkeeper Reza Mohammadi on 27 minutes.

Victor Simoes converted the resultant penalty before Amad Al Hosni added a second on 25 minutes.

A Kamel Al Mor own goal two minutes later gave the Iranian side brief hope but Al Hosni grabbed his second in first-half injury time before Abdulrahim Jaizawi confirmed the win on 69 minutes.

A third Saudi side, Al Hilal, will attempt to reach the last four when it tries to overturn a 1-0 deficit at home to Ulsan Hyundai.

In the other quarter-final Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor is in the box seat having drawn 2-2 at A-league side Adelaide United in the first leg.

Coach John Kosmina said he will bring experienced McKain into the Reds' back four when the 2008 ACL finalist takes on the Uzbek side in Tashkent.

"I've pretty much settled on it. At the moment Jon McKain will come in for Nigel Boogaard and that's all I'll say at the moment," Kosmina told AFP from Tashkent.

"There might be another one up our sleeve - we'll just wait and see."

Bunyodkor is in the box seat after fighting back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against 10-man Adelaide at Hindmarsh Stadium a fortnight ago.

Defender Boogaard was shown the red card just before half-time for bringing down Kamoliddin Murzoev who was through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat.

The Reds must win or earn a high-scoring draw to stay alive in the tournament on the away goals rule.

Adelaide will have been encouraged by its 2-1 win over Bunyodkor in Tashkent during the group stage earlier this year.

"We certainly come here more knowledgeable," Kosmina said.

"When we came here in March we didn't really know what to expect.

"We knew they were out of season and we had a quiet confidence when we came here last time and I think we're justified being quietly confident this time as well because of the way we played against them two weeks ago."

Kosmina said he had seen enough in the first leg match at home to suggest Adelaide had a good chance of progressing to the semi-finals.

"I think the way we played against them two weeks ago, certainly when it was 11 v 11, there was enough in that for the players to have confidence and maintain that belief that they developed over the ACL campaign so far without being complacent," he said.

"But they certainly played well enough to justify thinking that we're good enough to beat this team here."

Bunyodkor is yet to beat Adelaide United in three meetings in this season's ACL.

The Reds arrived in Tashkent on Monday for the ACL match on Thursday (AEST), having left Adelaide at 9.30am on Sunday. The squad is due back in Australia next Sunday for its A-League Round 1 match against Newcastle Jets, just seven days after leaving for Uzbekistan.

“It was a good trip. We got in here nice and early at about 4am so I think the main concern is to get some sleep in and rest up,” Reds midfielder Fabian Barbiero said.

“We’ve got a couple of days to acclimatise and get used to the time difference, so we’ll have a sleep and then have a training session later this afternoon.”

“The flights were all smooth so the boys are ready to rock ‘n roll.”

The 2-2 draw in the first Leg means a win by any score would see the Reds go through to the semi-finals, while another 2-2 draw would see the tie go into extra time and possibly a penalty shootout.

In the unlikely event of a 3-3 draw, Adelaide would go through on the away goals rule.

The match begins at 12am, Thursday (AEST).

A season that promised so much for the Chinese champion is in serious danger of ending with nothing if the continental club championship bid fades in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. A surprise defeat in the domestic league to lowly Qingdao Jonoon on Friday last week resulted in the long-term leader slipping to second place with four games remaining behind Jiangsu Sainty.

Elimination would be a disaster for Lippi. No Chinese team has won the Asian title since 1989 and Guangzhou has outlaid plenty of money recruiting talent to end that barren run. The club hired Lippi, who took Italy to the 2006 World Cup and Juventus to the UEFA Champions League a decade earlier, in May.

"This (quarter-final series) will be decided over 180 minutes and hopefully, when we play at home, all of our players will be back," Lippi said after the first-leg loss at Jeddah two weeks ago. In that match his team had twice taken the lead only to concede two second-half goals to Saudi Arabia international striker Naif Hazazi.

Guangzhou welcomes back key defender Zhang Linpeng and midfielder Zhao Zuri, although Brazilian striker and Chinese Super League top scorer Muriqui could miss the game through injury.

Unlike the Chinese team, Al Ittihad rested last weekend. The Saudi Arabian club eliminated Chinese opposition in its march to the 2004 and 2005 titles and has set its sights on a third regional crown.

"To be champions of Asia, it's the dream of any player in any team and when you get to be champion it's the way to go to the FIFA Club World Cup," Hazazi said. "It's a famous competition and we want to play there against the top players in the world."

The three other quarter-finals are more delicately poised.

Adelaide United was held to a 2-2 draw at home by Bunyodkor but is not daunted by the return leg in Uzbekistan, and not just because this is the fourth meeting between the two teams this year. The teams also met in the group stage.

Prior to a sending-off at the end of the first half in Adelaide's Hindmarsh Stadium, the A-League side was 2-0 ahead and dominating.

"When we were leading 2-0 we had a few more chances to put them away completely. It could have been all over in the first half," Adelaide attacker Iain Ramsay said.

"We are still really confident we can pull off the result we need over there. They were there for the taking. I really fancy us to win over there.

"We won 2-1 in the group stage against them in Tashkent and they will remember that. They were very fortunate. The truth is they couldn't deal with us when we had 11 players."

Adelaide eliminated Bunyodkor in the semi-final of the 2008 edition only to lose to Japan's Gamba Osaka in the final. Neither country has yet produced a winner of the competition.

That is certainly not the case of South Korea. K-League teams have been Asian champion on nine occasions but Ulsan Horangi is bidding for a first title.

Ulsan defeated Al Hilal 1-0 in the first leg but now faces a tough match in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.

The first leg of the remaining fixture between Sepahan and Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia ended goalless but was overshadowed by an incident involving a firecracker thrown on the field in Iran's Foolad Shahr Stadium before exploding.

The game was delayed for five minutes and the matter is being investigated by the Asian Football Confederation.

Either Sepahan or Al Ahli will take on Al Ittihad or Guangzhou in the semi-final as the draw has already been made. Adelaide or Bunyodkor will meet Ulsan or Al Hilal in the other match.

With the aggregate score at 2-2 after last week’s first-leg at Hindmarsh Stadium, the Reds venture to the Uzbekistan capital with a strong grasp of what to expect at Jar Stadium.

"I think it helps," Kosmina said on whether his side’s previous experience would give it any added benefit.

"The majority of the squad that will be travelling this time around will have been there before."

Kosmina also declared that any lingering disappointment from the first-leg, which saw the Reds have Bunyodkor on the ropes before settling for a draw, was now out of the players' systems.

Instead, the squad is jumping out of its skin to prove its first 30 minutes, when it totally outplayed Bunyodkor, was no flash in the pan and that a place in the semi-finals in very much achievable.

"I said to the players in the dressing room after the first-leg: 'Don't drop your heads about this, these things happen.' It was our first competitive match and we probably went too well in the first 30 minutes.

"It was like we’d gone straight from the training paddock into the game and it almost became fun … and when the axe fell we weren’t quite ready to deal with it," Kosmina said.

United will take a squad of 17 players to Tashkent, with the biggest question mark over who comes in to partner Iain Fyfe in the centre of defence in place of the suspended Nigel Boogaard.

Kosmina is tossing up between Jon McKain, who missed the first-leg because of a knee injury, and Antony Golec.

The Reds will depart for Uzbekistan on Sunday morning as it continues to fly the flag for Australia and aim to reach the ACL semi-finals for the second time.

Locked at 2-2 having let slip a two-goal lead in the first leg of the quarter-final at Hindmarsh Stadium last week, the Reds need a repeat of their group stage victory in Tashkent in the return leg on 3 October to stay alive in the competition.

Ramsay and Evan Kostopoulos handed Adelaide a dream start with two goals inside 18 minutes before the 43rd minute dismissal of defender Nigel Boogaard and some sloppy defending allowed strikes from Jasar Khasanov and Shavat Solomov to haul the visitor level.

Undaunted by needing a win – or at worst a 3-3 draw or more to secure a semi-final berth against either Ulsan Hyundai or Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal – Ramsay said: “When we were leading two nil we had a few more chances to put them away completely. It could have been all over in the first half.

“But that’s the way things go sometimes but we are still really confident we can pull off the result we need over there. They were there for the taking.”

Ramsay, like coach John Kosmina, claimed the red card brandished to Boogaard by Oman-based referee Abdullah Mohamed Al Hilali was harsh and a “game changer”.

“It was a big call by the referee but what can you do?” he added.

“There was a blatant handball which didn’t go in our favour when the guy marking me (Akmal Shorahmedov) used his hand. Everybody saw it except the referee. That was in the first half and it was disappointing.

“It was tough on us but we won’t be downhearted at all going into the return. We are totally up for it.

“I really fancy us to win over there. We won 2-1 in the group stage against them in Tashkent and they will remember that.”

The Reds attacker feels Bunyodkor will be caught in two minds going into the return and that could work in Adelaide’s favour.

“They will be under the pump. They will work in blocks to try and fend us off and might not know quite how to approach the game,” he said.

“But we will pressure them high and take the game to them. We’ll put them under the pump straight away and, like I said, if not for the red card incident the tie might already be over for them.

“They were very fortunate. The truth is they couldn’t deal with us when we had 11 players.”

The 24-year-old believes United, looking for A-League redemption after the under-achievement of last season, can carry its form into the start of the new season when it faces Newcastle at Hunter Stadium on 7 October.

“We’ve had a great pre-season. We’ve had good wins against Brisbane Roar and Central Coast. We are fit, we have more depth than last season and we’re playing with a lot of confidence.”

If Adelaide's players are looking for any further encouragement on their journey to Tashkent they need only cast their minds back to 2008, when they overcame Bunyodkor over two legs to reach the AFC Champions League final.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Monday the match commissioner's report had been forwarded to AFC's legal department for disciplinary investigation. The match ended in a draw.

The incident happened on Wednesday last week during a quarter-final match between Iran's Foolad Sepahan and Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli. No one was hurt.

It happened at Iran's Foolad Shahr Stadium in the 64th minute, forcing the match to be stopped for five minutes.

Objects were allegedly thrown by spectators of host club Foolad Sepahan towards the assistant referee near the corner area, including a firecracker.

A video of the incident showed the home team's player Adel Kolahkaj, picking up the object in a relaxed manner and tossing it outside the pitch near an advertising sign.

It immediately exploded upon impact with the ground, sending the players and officials running for cover.

The team representing Asia in the annual intercontinental competition will not be known until the final of the Asian Champions League on November 10.

The other quarter-final will be contested by the champion of Africa and the winner of a play-off between Oceania champion Auckland City of New Zealand and the winner of Japan's national football championship.

The winner of that encounter will tackle South American champion Corinthians in the other semi-final.

Chelsea qualified for the tournament by beating Bayern Munich on penalties in May's UEFA Champions League final and Roberto di Matteo's side will be seeking to succeed Barcelona as World Club champion.

Carney was omitted from Bunyodkor’s squad for its 2-2 Asian Champions League quarter-final draw with Adelaide United on Wednesday amid accusations from coach Mirjalol Kasymov that he plays better for country than club, and his Australian agent, Sydney-based Ante Alilovic, claims the 28-year-old has been treated “unprofessionally”.

In what he insists is a ploy to drive Carney out of the club without receiving what he describes as a “substantial sum”, Alilovic said: “The reality is that David hasn’t been paid for four and a half months.

“He is, of course, upset by that and also by the way the coach has publicly turned on him in a very unprofessional manner.

“It’s not appropriate for any coach to basically say, ‘he plays well for the Socceroos and is rubbish for us’. I don’t think that’s the way for any professional coach to conduct himself. It’s not something I’ve ever seen or heard before.

“Even if it were true, you would keep it in-house. That’s just amateurish.

“The real issue is the club have financial troubles and are using this as a smokescreen. Was David rubbish when he played in the other ACL games and helped Bunyodkor to the last eight?

“If that were the case they’d have dropped him immediately.

“I informed him that FIFA will become involved if the money is not forthcoming, with the PFA [Professional Footballers Australia] heavily involved also.

“He admitted the club is in financial strife and said he didn’t know how David was going to get paid. David is not the only player there owed money.”

Carney, who is still in Tashkent while the dispute rages, is set to head back to England, where his last club was Blackpool, but not until given the go-ahead by the PFA and his management.

He has consulted with Socceroos coach Holger Osieck over his future, with Alilovic saying: “Holger is fully aware of the issue and has been very supportive.”

Kasymov said of Carney on Tuesday: “We have better local players than David Carney. When we took him at the start of the season we hoped he would help in the championship, but at the moment we have better players.

“As a foreigner you must be better. But he has not shown us a good game or good results and for this reason he is not here.

“He must work for the full season and help our club but he plays better for the national team than our club.”

Carney joined the Uzebekistan club in February from Spanish second division side AD Alcorcon and has made just seven appearances before falling out of favour last month.

Alilovic is keen to see Carney back in the A-League while the player himself sees his future in Europe.

“The main thing is to get him out of Uzbekistan. Hopefully that can be achieved this week,” he said.

“He can leave tomorrow but we need to do things properly to ensure that he gets the money he is owed. FIFA are well aware of what is happening.”

Carney needs to be playing regularly with Australia, which is set to face Iraq in a crucial World Cup qualifier on 16 October 16 (17 October AEST).

“It’s a big decision David has to make, whether to return home or to go back to Europe where he’s had some bad luck over the past three years or so,” said Alilovic.

Adelaide was leading 2-0 against Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor in Wednesday night's first leg of the quarter-final at Hindmarsh Stadium, when Boogaard was sent off.

Boogaard pulled down Bunyodkor striker Kamoliddim Murzoev as they chased a long ball, with the Uzbeks scoring from the resultant free kick.

A 10-man Adelaide then conceded another goal in the second half to draw 2-2 – Bunyodkor's two away goals worth double ahead of the second leg in Tashkent on October 3 (4 October 12am AEST).

Boogaard said he felt responsible for Adelaide's predicament.

"I apologised to everyone individually when they came into the change rooms for the situation I put them in," he said.

Adelaide captain Eugene Galekovic said Boogaard's blemish gifted the visitors a "change of luck".

"Obviously he's shattered," Galekovic said of his team-mate.

"But these things happen in football and we have got to move on.

"He's sorry, he apologised straight away, he knew he was at fault."

Galekovic said given Adelaide's 2-0 advantage, established by goals from Iain Ramsay and Evan Kostopoulos in the initial 18 minutes, the draw felt like a loss.

"The boys are a bit disappointed but ... we know that with 11 players we outplayed them," he said.

"We knew they were going to come at us, obviously playing with 10 men we had to try and stop them and it was going to be hard to score ourselves.

"We defended well but they got through a few times and in the end they scored a couple and made it tough for us.

Ulsan had Brazilian striker Rafinha's deflected shot to thank for its 1-0 first-leg victory over Al Hilal.

However, Italy's 2006 FIFA World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi's hopes of adding Asian Champions League glory to the European version he won as Juventus coach in 1996 dimmed as his expensively-assembled Guangzhou Evergrande side lost 4-2 away at Saudi Arabia outfit Al Ittihad.

Two headers from Saudi Arabia striker Naif Hazazi gave the two-time AFC Champions League winner a useful advantage to take to China in a fortnight.

"We made some errors which weren't supposed to happen and that's why we lost," said Lippi.

"But this game will be decided over 180 minutes and hopefully when we play at home all of our players will be back."

In Isfahan, Al Ahli, the third Saudi club still standing, was held to a 0-0 draw on its first appearance in the quarter-finals since 2005 by Iranian opponent Sepahan at the Foolad Shahr Stadium.

The second legs take place on 2 and 3 October.

The Reds squandered a two-goal lead on their home turf at Hindmarsh Stadium and face an uphill taks to stay in the competition.

Adelaide, with goals to Iain Ramsay and Evan Kostopoulos, dominated the Uzbek champion early but the tide turned when Reds defender Nigel Boogaard was sent off just before halftime.

Bunyodkor scored from the resulting free kick and equalised against a flagging 10-man Adelaide in the second half to bank precious away goals before the return bout in Tashkent on 3 October.

Ramsay and Kostopoulos scored in the initial 18 minutes as Adelaide took command against a seemingly brittle Bunyodkor.

Ramsay's opportunistic seventh-minute strike came after Dario Vidosic mis-timed a shot, the ball rolling across the goal face - Adelaide's left winger pounced and pushed a sliding left-footer into the net.

His 22-year-old teammate Kostopoulos logged his first goal for the Reds in an official match some 11 minutes later when a corner fell at his feet.

Kostopoulos's initial shot was blocked but the ball rebounded to gift him a second chance - and he took it with a swift left boot.

But Bunyodkor's fortunes changed when Adelaide's Boogaard was marched in the 42nd minute.

Boogard fell behind in a foot-race with forward Murzoev Kamoliddin as they chased a dangerous Bunyodkor long ball which neared Adelaide's penalty area.

The Reds defender pulled at Kamoliddin's right arm, causing the Bunyodkor attacker to fall.

And from the ensuing free kick, Jasur Khasanov expertly curled a 25-metre left-footer into the top right corner of the net.

Adelaide lost its lead in the 75th minute when Shavkat Salomov scored when the ball inexplicably passed through Iain Fyfe's legs, allowing the Bunyodkor substitute to score from less than a metre out.

Adelaide assistant coach Michael Valkanis said Boogard's sending off "changed the complexion of the game".

"We had played extremely good, attacking football and possibly could have had four or five goals," he said.

"It (Boogard's red card) changed our whole game plan."

But Valkanis said the Reds would remain positive heading to the Tashkent for the return.

"It's still on for us going over there ... we have got to try and win the game," he said.

Bunyodkor coach Mirdjalal Kasimov agreed that Boogard's red card was a game-changer.

"The red card was a help for us," he said.

"Of course it is a plus that we scored two goals but it doesn't mean we can relax in Tashkent."

Vidosic was in doubt for the first leg against the Uzbekistan club, but passed a searching fitness test on his troublesome hamstring on Tuesday.

"He's ready," Adelaide assistant coach Michael Valkanis told reporters.

"He did well at training today, he did a little bit more than what we expected.

"He was switching the ball, playing longer passes, shorter passes, and moving quite comfortably."

Vidosic strengthens an Adelaide outfit seeking to advance in the lucrative Asian competition despite being out-of-season.

The Reds played friendly games against A-League powerhouses Central Coast and Brisbane in recent weeks in a bid to get match fit for their Asian campaign.

Adelaide hosts a Bunyodkor outfit sitting top halfway through its Uzbekistan competition, but Reds captain Eugene Galekovic hoped the difference in match conditioning wouldn't be a major factor.

"We have had a long pre-season," Galekovic said.

"The only difference is they have played 20 games in their season and are match-hardened, we have played four or five practice games - even though they have been good practice games, they're still practice games.

"But the boys will be hungry - it's our home ground, we want a result, we want a win and to keep a clean sheet."

Galekovic expected Bunyodkor to play cautiously, but not negatively, in the Hindmarsh Stadium fixture.

"I don't think they'll play too defensive ... when they have the ball obviously they are going to try and play football, they're a very good football side and we respect them," he said.

"They are here to get a result and make it hard for us."

Adelaide will reshuffle its defence, with centre-back Jon McKain to miss about 10 days with a knee injury sustained at training.

Argentine attacker Jeronimo Nuemann will be among the Adelaide substitutes after being added to the ACL squad as cover for injured countryman Marcelo Carrusca.

Back at the club after a successful loan spell with Al Ain, the 29-year-old former Saudi Arabia international has scored three goals already this season but is struggling with an ankle injury.

He is joined in the treatment room by Khalid Al Kaabi and, with Sultan Al Beshi suspended, Kombouare has not got strength to pick from.

The former Paris Saint-Germain coach wants his players to establish an advantage ahead of the return fixture in Riyadh, though, saying: "It is an important match as it is the first leg of a knockout game.

"Over these two matches we will have to play very well to keep our chances alive of continuing in the competition."

Speaking on the AFC's official website, he added: "We are ready, even to play a very strong team, even though we have injuries.

"We also have one player who is suspended. But we have players who can take his place."

Wesley and Yoo Byung-soo are in line to replace Al Qahtani.

The 26-year-old Argentine is a last-minute inclusion in the Reds' ACL squad after countryman Marcelo Carrusca was forced to pull out due to a persistent calf injury.

Adelaide faces Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor in the first leg of its quarter-final at Hindmarsh Stadium on Wednesday night.

Morales Neumann cannot wait for an opportunity to play in another major continental tournament after having performed for two clubs in South America's Copa Libertadores.

”Marcelo is still injured and I am sorry for him and it is unfortunate that I had to get my Champions League spot in this way,” Morales Neumann said.

”But that is football and these things happen sometimes.

”I am happy to be given this opportunity and now I want to make the most of it and do well.

”There is not much difference between the ACL and the Libertadores.”

Morales Neumann did not have much luck in South America's premier tournament.

His Ecuador side Emelec finished bottom of its group in the 2007 tournament yet things were looking up for Morales Neumann in 2010 when he was on the books of Argentine giant Estudiantes de la Plata.

He played six matches for holder Estudiantes but it was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Internacional of Brazil.

Morales Neumann, however, was able to draw on a rare experience of playing alongside a genuine star in Argentine playmaker Juan Sebastian Veron at Estudiantes.

”I joined the club after they had won the Libertadores in 2009 and I will cherish my memory of Veron,” he said.

”He was a great leader on and off the field and a great character who was always willing to give advice to all the younger players, not just me.”

Morales Neumann said he was happy to be in Australia to resume a career that saw him have a short spell at Barnsley in 2010-2011.

Morales Neumann of course might be forgiven for thinking he's still playing at home with so many 'Latinos' in the Reds squad.

Apart from Carrusca and Portuguese Fabio Ferreira, Adelaide is also home to Brazilian defender Cassio who became an Australian citizen last week but is still considered a visa player for ACL purposes.

”The playing group is helping me adjust, particularly the South Americans,” he said.

”I'm beginning to feel comfortable here and looking forward to a good season.

”I can play on the right or left wing and even behind the striker but I would not want to choose which position to play in,” he said.

”All I want to do is score goals to help the team win games and bring happiness to the fans.”

Morales Neumann's contract with Adelaide expires at the end of the 2012-2013 season.

Playmaker Dario Vidosic has survived a fitness test and will play against Bunyodkor.

Vidosic was in doubt for the match but was declared fit after he passed a searching fitness test on his troublesome hamstring on Tuesday morning.

The return leg takes place in Tashkent on October 4 (AEST).

The winner of the tie will play the winner of the quarter-final between Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal and Korea Republic's Ulsan Hyundai later in the month.

Adelaide has an added incentive to reach the final because it would host the one-off match at Hindmarsh in November.

Carney is a notable absentee from his side's squad to play Adelaide United in the first leg of the AFC Champions League quarter-final tie at Hindmarsh Stadium on Wednesday.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Qosimov said Carney hasn't produced the type of results that are expected of a foreign marquee and that the Socceroos regular is free to look elsewhere.

"When we signed Carney, we hoped that he would help us in the Champions League and the domestic league but at this moment I have better local players in his position to choose from," Qosimov said via a translator. "He is a foreign player and he must be better than the local players, but his results have not been so good and so for that reason he's stayed in Tashkent."

Qosimov said it is a shame the Australian defender doesn't apply the same commitment at club level as he does to the Socceroos.

"When he plays with the Socceroos he does better than what he does with us," Qosimov said. "He must show the same results for the club, the club comes first and for this reason he has stayed in Tashkent."

Qosimov stressed that while the 28 year-old is still on the books at the Uzbekistan side, the coach will not stand in his way if another offer comes along.

"At this point Carney is still a player at our club but if he finds another club, he can join them."

Bunyodkor takes on Adelaide United on Wednesday evening at Hindmarsh Stadium, looking to avenge its loss to the Reds in the group stage. The return leg is in Tashkent's JAR Stadium on 4 October (AEDT).

Kosmina will give Vidosic every chance to be fit for the 1st Leg game and will give the influential midfielder until the last minute to prove he has overcome a hamstring tear.

However the news is better for Argentine Jeronimo Neumann who completed a full session at training on Monday morning (Adelaide time) to put his hand up for selection.

“He (Vidosic) only had a small tear and it was not across the muscle so that’s a good thing…the doctors say it’s not too bad,” Kosmina said.

The Reds will be looking to repeat history, having played the Uzbek side in the knockout stages of the ACL in 2008. On that occasion in front of a packed house the Reds recorded a stirring victory, setting up an unassailable lead as it eventually won the tie and went onto play in the final.

In fact, Wednesday night’s game will be the sixth meeting between two teams that have built up an intriguing ACL rivalry, the Reds holding a record of two wins, a draw and a loss against the more highly fancied Uzbek club. This included meeting in the group stages of this year’s competition.

“There is a bit of history between the two clubs, not just in the last few months either, it goes back a few years,” Kosmina said.

“So hopefully that’ll work in our favour, especially having the game at home, I think that helps a hell of a lot.”

Although the Reds has had to play a host of pre-season trial matches to prepare as the Hyundai A-League has yet to kick off, Kosmina can be pleased with his team’s progress to a game that has been in its sights on the horizon for a number of months.

The Reds’ coaching staff has also been doing its homework on Bunyodkor, but Kosmina has been around football long enough to know that ultimately it is about the Reds controlling what they can control.

“We know what they (Bunyodkor) play like. They’re not going to be too dissimilar to the way they were against us or Seongnam in its Round of 16 game, so it’s about how we go about our business and make sure we get our house in order first,” Kosmina said.

“You can practise tactics all you want, the fact is that on the day if something doesn’t quite work or someone is not on their game or they might have a players who’s on fire, you’ve got to adapt sometimes and make decisions out on the park as you go – that’s what sport is all about.”

Another parochial home crowd on Wednesday night would again go a long way to giving United an edge once again.

From the original squads that each of the remaining eight clubs in the ACL submitted for the knockout stage in August, clubs are permitted to replace and change up to three players on the original roster prior to a deadline of seven days before the first leg of the quarter-finals.

Coach John Kosmina has decided to bring in Neumann to join Sergio Van Dijk and Cassio as the Reds’ three imports, meaning Carrusca comes out of the squad.

Admitting it was an extremely tough decision to make due to the fact that clubs are only permitted a maximum of three foreigners for the competition, Kosmina chose to go with Neumann over Carrusca due to the former having already played a number of games and spent a number of weeks in training, while the latter has been restricted due to a calf injury.

“At this particular stage of his rehabilitation, Marcelo is still at risk of re-injury, so as a consequence we’ve swapped him over with Jeronimo for the visa spot,” Kosmina said.

“Jeromino has had some match condition and is not as much of a risk.”

Despite becoming an Australian citizen last Friday, Cassio does not qualify as an Australian player due to AFC regulations regarding naturalised players.

The Reds take on Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor in the first leg of the quarter-finals at Hindmarsh Stadium on Wednesday 19 September.