Which team will book a place in the final of the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2015 – the champions in 2008, Gamba Osaka, or the 2013 winner, Guangzhou Evergrande? Gamba Osaka, who have claimed three titles in Japan last year, are to play an away match against Guangzhou Evergrande, who have won four consecutive championships in the Chinese Super League, on Wednesday 30 September, and will meet again at home on Wednesday 21 October.

Gamba Osaka will meet the opponent to get through to the final for the first time in seven years. Guangzhou Evergrande, on the other hand, met Kashiwa Reysol in the quarterfinal and the result of the games was one victory and one draw.

The team have always got through at least to the quarterfinals since they first participated in the championship in 2012, including the one in 2013, in which they won the championship. Although they have never met Gamba before, they played against Kashima Antlers in the group stage this year. They also met Cerezo Osaka and Yokohama F・Marinos last year, gathering experience with Japanese club teams.

Luiz Felipe SCOLARI, who led the Brazil National Team in the FIFA World Cup last year and started to coach Evergrande this June, commented: “Gamba are a tough team. Their coach HASEGAWA has his own style. We’d better think they are different from other Japanese club teams, as they’ve come this far.” He also noted, showing his confidence: “There is a good atmosphere in our team. We have to try to avoid conceding an away goal and ensure we play the 2nd Leg with a larger advantage.”

The team keep breaking their unbeaten record in the Super League with 10 victories and four draws since Scolari became coach. They are currently in the lead, scoring 65 goals in 27 matches.

The highest scorers are the forward Ricardo GOULART with 15 goals, who used to play for the Brazil National Team, and the forward Gao LIN with 13 goals, who plays for the China National Team. Both of the players lead attack with support in midfield from PAULINHO, a Brazil National Team player, and Zheng ZHI, a China National Team player. They cooperate with the midfielders Huang BOWEN and Zheng LONG, who initiate fierce attacks on both sides.

Both teams won the championship in the past. Huang BOWEN commented: “our team experienced the semi-final and the final of the championship in 2013, which, I believe, will help us this time. All we need is just concentrate on our duty.”

Gamba, who arrived in China on 28 September, is also in good shape. They beat Kashiwa 3−1 in the J.League Division1 on 26 September, extending their unbeaten record to nine games. In that game, the midfielder ABE Hiroyuki scored twice, while the forward USAMI Takashi struck his 19th goal in the league, becoming one of the highest scorers.

The coach HASEGAWA Kenta, who was sent off in the 2nd Leg of the quarterfinal, will not be able to get on the bench for the 1st Leg against Guangzhou Evergrande on 30 September. The defender NIWA Daiki has to stay on the bench due to his multiple yellow cards, but Usami will be back on the pitch following his suspension.

Usami commented: “our matches so far have been very tough until the last whistle, which gave us some confidence that we can concentrate on our game until the last minute.” He also noted: “I expect the coming match will be tough as well, but we will stay concentrated with a strong spirit for victory.”

Gamba hold the midfielder KONNO Yasuyuki, who has a good experience in playing for the national team, as well as the midfielder ENDO Yasuhito, who assisted the defender YONEKURA Koki’s deciding goal in the quarterfinal of ACL against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Football Club. Both the forward PATRIC and the midfielder KURATA Shu also have been showing off their skills.

Abe said with enthusiasm: “I expect an away match will be tough, but I’d like to score as many away goals as possible to win the game.”

Although Gamba will meet Guangzhou Evergrande for the first time, their record against Chinese teams is five wins, three losses and two draws, which is not bad. The team need to display serious concentration and calm in both attack and defence, just like they did in the quarterfinal against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Football Club.

The 1st Leg of the semi-final will kick-off at 21:00 Japan Time (20:00 Local Time) on 30 September at Tianhe Stadium.

The semi-final in the west block will be between Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), who have won the championship twice in the former ACL, the Asian Club Championship, and Al Ahli (United Arab Emirates), who became semi-finalists for the first time. The 1st Leg will be held in Saudi Arabia on 29 September and the 2nd Leg in the United Arab Emirates on 20 October.

The winner from the east and the west will play the finals on 7 November and 21 November to claim the title of the Asian champions. The team will also book a place in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, which will be held from 10 to 20 December.

FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2015 Match information (Japanese version only)

AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2015

Semi-Final
Wed. 30 September 2015
Guangzhou Evergrande (China)  vs  Gamba Osaka (Japan)

Wed. 21 October 2015 
Gamba Osaka (Japan)  vs  Guangzhou Evergrande (China)

See more match details