Asian Champions League: Melbourne Victory v Gamba Osaka

Bourky23 · Apr 7, 2008

this can be the match thread if there isn't one already..
anyone else going? first victory game i'm heading to for quite a while... no thompson hurts us but i reckon we are more than likely to get a positive result

All discussion for the Asian Champions League match between Melbourne Victory & Gamba Osaka may be posted in this thread. It will be stickied until next Sunday.

BROADCAST DETAILS:

Wednesday 9 April 2008

LIVE - FOX SPORTS 1 - 7pm EST, 6:30pm CST, 5pm WST

jefffff34 · Apr 7, 2008

Shabash!

Lowie01 · Apr 7, 2008

I'll be there, but I fear the worst to be honest. Massive load on Danny Allsopp now. Probably best served with a 4-1-4-1 system of some kind. If ever Patafta (rumoured to be off to Newcastle) was going to get a start, this is it.

Rick18 · Apr 7, 2008

Looking forward to it...sort of.

The optimistic side of me believes we have a strong chance, and the pessimistic side is telling me not to show up

I'll be there of course...what are people's crowd estimates? I'm thinking roughly the same as last time.

Bourky23 · Apr 7, 2008

Lowie01 said:
I'll be there, but I fear the worst to be honest. Massive load on Danny Allsopp now. Probably best served with a 4-1-4-1 system of some kind. If ever Patafta (rumoured to be off to Newcastle) was going to get a start, this is it.

haha i'm going with youngsaint so if you see two blokes one with a barca messi shirt on and another with a madrid robinho shirt on say g'day!

borgsta2006 · Apr 8, 2008

Spewing I don't live in Melbourne any more. COME ON VICTORY!!!!!

I think we are going to be short in attack but hopefully Allsopp and Ward will get us voer the line up front.

Braszell · Apr 8, 2008

cannot wait.. pre match at the great western is going to be fantstic... going to be a tough game thats for sure but im confident..

new mega for the terrace aswell for this game can hear it 1km away so maybe the old nesw chant might get a run.. sos cagon whooooooooo

numchuks · Apr 8, 2008

I'm going.

Promotion for the game has been shithouse.

Only just got reminded of the game today, I reckon a crowd of around 20k maybe?

If you see a bloke wearing a Fener jumper, then holla.

Lowie01 · Apr 9, 2008

Agree on the promotion part. I reckon we'll be lucky to see 20,000.

A look at Gamba, courtesy of The Age:

FATIGUE, two J-League matches and an intercontinental flight in seven days could prompt free-wheeling Gamba Osaka to adopt a cautious approach when it faces Melbourne Victory in their crucial Asian Champions League match at Telstra Dome tonight.

While both teams have stressed how vital it is to secure three points this evening, it is almost equally as important for neither to lose, so a cautious rather than frenetic opening might be the case as the sides feel each other out.

Gamba coach Akira Nishino is a veteran after years at the top levels of Asian club and international football. Twice J-League manager of the year, he also coached his country at the Atlanta Olympics and knows rhetoric is one thing, reality another.

While Gamba would love to cement its status at the top of the group with a win over Melbourne, it would not be unhappy to return to Osaka with a point and back itself to beat the Australians in its own backyard at the end of April.

He fielded his strongest side in the 2-0 J-League win over Shimizu S-Pulse on Saturday and is expected to do the same tonight, with Brazilian strikers Bare and Lucas up front and experienced Japanese international Yasuhito Endo pulling the strings in midfield.

Nishino offered little in the way of prediction, other than to say his team would treat Victory with respect and not read too much into its loss against Thai champion Chonburi FC (which stunned Gamba when it grabbed a draw in Osaka) last time out.

While pleased that Archie Thompson is one less threat to worry about after being forced out through a ligament injury, Nishino says Gamba must be wary of the Victory's height, strength and ability to hold on to the ball.

"We have had a very tight schedule and a very challenging game in Korea (the 4-3 Champions League win over Chunnam Dragons on March 19) and a lot of travel from Japan. Our team condition is not the best," Nishino said.

"I think Melbourne Victory is a team that is very strong in attack.They do a lot of hard work and their physical strength is very great. Our team prefers to play in an attacking style (but) considering the team's current condition and how well Melbourne Victory can play, I think they will put a lot of pressure on my side and I think that will force us to be defensive …

"Thompson was obviously one of the players that we would have been marking the most … But we have heard a lot about Nick Ward, and we think he will be part of their attacking team."

Despite Melbourne's loss in Thailand, Nishino believed that it was the conditions as much as the opposition that defeated the Australian side.

I don't think they need be worried about our height, we must be the shortest team in Australia.

RoosterLad · Apr 9, 2008

Poor promotion of the match? Don't be surprised.

It seems that a lot of people think these matches are just glorified friendly matches, and of course now the AFL has kicked it's season off nobody gives a shit about the Asian Champions League.

Pretty much a must win for Melbourne, home wins are very crucial in this comp.

youngsaint · Apr 9, 2008

Yea agree that promotion has been shit house only heard about it in the media today yesterday and some places monday...

thebigboy · Apr 9, 2008

Confident that we will get over 20k but i would be extremely surprised if we get anywhere near 25+

Gunna be a tough game for us. Mind you probably the best time to play Gamba seeing its there 3rd game inside 8 days plus travel.

Simply we have to win this game and then win again over in Osaka.

Hope Merrick doesn't waste his time playing Caceres. Not going to give us anything out of the ordinary. Expect his half-arsed chases and a cross or 2 which trouble the people in row 1 rather than the defense.

All in all i reckon we can get up. Probably 2-0

youngsaint · Apr 9, 2008

thebigboy said:
Confident that we will get over 20k but i would be extremely surprised if we get anywhere near 25+

Gunna be a tough game for us. Mind you probably the best time to play Gamba seeing its there 3rd game inside 8 days plus travel.

Simply we have to win this game and then win again over in Osaka.

Hope Merrick doesn't waste his time playing Caceres. Not going to give us anything out of the ordinary. Expect his half-arsed chases and a cross or 2 which trouble the people in row 1 rather than the defense.

All in all i reckon we can get up. Probably 2-0

Think your underestimating Gamba if you think it will be 2 nil....

NMFCMUFC · Apr 9, 2008

Anything's possible.

Its interesting... the key I think is to be able to hold possession well and be cool, something Melbourne didn't display in Thailand, but did against Chunnam.

I'm not expecting much but.

Munga · Apr 9, 2008

MVFC Goal already, 3 minutes in.

hey shorty · Apr 9, 2008

Another absolute ball-tearer against Melbourne........ Almost a carbon copy of Barga's goal last match. Gamba look as if theyre warming to the task after conceeding their now customary 1st goal.

hey shorty · Apr 9, 2008

Warming to the task ?? Theyre infront care of the dangermen Bare' and Endo.

hey shorty · Apr 9, 2008

Vargas scores !!!! Some pretty comical defending going on at both ends...... 2-2 what a game we have here.

DonMania#5 · Apr 9, 2008

And its 2-2!!! Vargas scores..

DonMania#5 · Apr 9, 2008

Header off the crossbar on the goal line for Gambhir.

Jolldo87 · Apr 9, 2008

Thanks for the updates guys, really appreciate them :thumbsu:

hey shorty · Apr 9, 2008

Whoooooa I genuinely thought that went in...... Not to be and there will be plenty more chances to score at either end one feels. Fast paced match so far, defending has been slightly ordinary but the finishing, first class.

DonMania#5 · Apr 9, 2008

Danny Allsopp, great header!! 3-2

DonMania#5 · Apr 9, 2008

Gambhir captain scores a header now, 3-3. Cracking game.

RoosterLad · Apr 9, 2008

Brilliant work by Gamba Osaka there. 4-3.

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Asian Champions League: Melbourne Victory v Gamba Osaka

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