On Tuesday, September 16, Melbourne City will face Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the first round of the AFC Champions League. Here’s a look at the matchup.
Key facts and head-to-head history
- Sanfrecce Hiroshima are unbeaten in their last five matches.
- This is only Melbourne City’s third time playing in the AFC Champions League group stage.
- Sanfrecce Hiroshima have lost just one of their last six away games.
- These teams have never met before.
Match preview
Melbourne City are the current champions of Australia. Last season, they reached the A-League final, winning 1-0 against Melbourne Victory. This victory marked the club’s second league title, their first being in 2021.
However, there is limited optimism for Melbourne City this season. The team made few changes during the summer transfer window and lost several key players. In July, they were surprisingly eliminated from the national cup by amateur team APIA Leichhardt, losing 0-2.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima finished as runners-up in the previous J-League season. They led for much of the campaign but fell behind in the final matches, ending four points short of Vissel Kobe.
This season, with 30 rounds played in the J-League, Sanfrecce Hiroshima sit sixth with 31 points. The standings are tight, as they trail leaders Kyoto by just four points. In their most recent match, they drew 1-1 against Kyoto, following another 1-1 draw with Cerezo Osaka.
Probable lineups
- Melbourne City: Jamie Young, Scott Jamieson, Nuno Reis, Curtis Good, Taras Gomulka, Aiden O’Neill, Josh Brillante, Marco Tilio, Mathew Leckie, Andrew Nabbout, Jamie Maclaren
- Sanfrecce Hiroshima: Keisuke Osako, Sho Sasaki, Hayato Araki, Tsukasa Shiotani, Shunki Higashi, Yotaro Nakajima, Satoshi Tanaka, Shuto Nakano, Kosuke Kinoshita, Ryo Germain, Naoki Maeda
Prediction: Melbourne City vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Melbourne City have not played a competitive match recently and seem to lack experience at this level. On the other hand, the Japanese side is in good form, with players exhibiting a higher level of skill. I predict a win for the visitors in this match.