Yet Sydney can’t just focus on the Japanese team in what could be a deadly group.
Perth, far below Sydney at home, will be feeling much happier with Asia after Tuesday’s draw in Kuala Lumpur.
Perth Glory
Ulsan Hyundai
Ulsan will still be kicking themselves after missing out on the K League 1 title.
Needing to take just two points in the final two games to be sure, they blew it completely: losing 4-1 on the last day to be pipped on goal difference.
Despite that meltdown, if there was one word to describe the 2012 champions, it would be ‘solid’.
The Tigers have plenty of experience and South Korean internationals past and present all over the pitch.
Junior Negao was pipped by Adam Taggart in the race for the golden boot and adds a little flair - if Ulsan can keep hold of the Brazilian, that is.
Shanghai Shenhua
While Ulsan are feeling down in the dumps, Shanghai are cock-a-hoop. The late FA Cup win ended a dismal season on a very big high.
The Blues finished in 13th in the league but defeated Shandong Luneng to lift the trophy last Friday.
It was the last game for legendary captain Gio Moreno but there is attacking talent and goals in South Korean striker Kim Shin-wook and Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo.
Perth may not be going especially well in the league at the moment but will fancy their chances against an, inconsistent at best, Shenhua team.
Perth will be expecting J.League runners-up FC Tokyo to make it through the play-offs, another team with zero Asian experience. It would be a fascinating battle.
Sydney FC
Yokohama F. Marinos
If the Australian media and fans (and sometimes clubs) have been accused of not taking the continental competition seriously enough at times over the years then that will not be an issue in Group H.
The story of Postecoglou’s march to the top of the Japanese football tree was huge down under and he is sure to be relishing the chance to show Sydney and everybody else in Australia what they have been missing since he stepped down from the Socceroos in 2017 after leading the team through qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Sydney’s first away trip is to Japan and it is to be hoped - and surely now expected - that Steve Corica will take his strongest team for what will be a huge game.
The Sky Blues should at least be sharper than Yokohama as the Japanese season will not yet have started.
Yokohama are a fearsome attacking team that come at you from all angles. Lose possession and you may not get it back but they will always give you a chance. Sydney, who failed to win a single Asian game last year, will have to take it.
Jeonbuk Motors
This South Korean powerhouse has played more games in the tournament than any other and with two continental titles and five out of the last six K League 1 championships, this is a Green-winning machine.
The latest domestic crown was slightly unexpected but Jeonbuk are solid all over the pitch and enjoy playing in Asia. ACL record goalscorer Lee Dong-gook is unlikely to be a threat as he approaches 41 but there are plenty of goals in this team.
With Shanghai SIPG, complete with Hulk and Oscar, expected to complete the quartet, Sydney would struggle to find a tougher group.
Melbourne Victory
Australian teams have not always enjoyed Champions League play-offs but an away trip to Bali would be something else.
Alas, the game is a one-legged affair and will take place in Melbourne and anyway, there is no guarantee that Bali United will get past Singapore’s Tampines Rovers.
It is a shame that neither Rovers or Victory will be able to sample the passionate atmosphere on the Indonesian island.
At home, Melbourne will fancy their chances of going through though a tricky trip to Japan awaits.
It is hard to see the A-League having three representatives in the group stage.
