Adelaide United may be just five years old, but the fledgling A-League club embarks on uncharted territory for Australian sport this week.
It will be a case of A-League versus J-League when The Reds take to the pitch in Japan to contest the 2008 Asian Champions League Final against Gamba Osaka.
The home and away battle for the title of continental champion club will kick-off in Osaka on Wednesday November 5 (8.30pm ACT) with a huge outdoor fan-fest site set up to screen the match in Adelaide’s Elder Park.
Heavyweights of the global game and Australian politics – including FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd – will attend the deciding return leg on Wednesday November 12 at Adelaide’s sold-out Hindmarsh Stadium (7.30pm ACT kick-off).
Mindful of their historic ACL Final appearance, Football Federation Australia has transferred Adelaide’s Round 11 A-League fixture from this Saturday November 8 to Saturday November 15 with the backing of host club Central Coast Mariners.
Match of the Round
This Saturday night (November 8) meanwhile features a critical clash between A-League leaders Melbourne Victory and fourth-placed Queensland Roar.
The return of suspended stars Archie Thompson and Ney Fabiano to the Melbourne line-up will only be surpassed as a pre-match talking point by the “Suncorp Curse”.
The Roar continue to boast an impressive track record when playing away, but boast an incredibly poor home record when playing back in Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium. Queensland have picked up just one of their 15 points this season playing at home and have managed only 10 victories from 38 home matches over three and a half seasons.
But back-to-back wins on the road in the last fortnight, their defeat of Melbourne at home last season as well as away this season, will have Queensland confident they can take all three points and leapfrog Melbourne on the A-League ladder.
Following his winning goal for the Roar against Newcastle last Sunday, the proven goal-scoring experience of Scottish import Charlie Miller looks the most likely prospect to tip the balance in favour of a long-awaited Queensland home victory.
Roar fans may not yet share such confidence, but their side’s surge into the top four looks set to draw a season high home crowd in any case.
A congested ladder at the mid point of the 21-round A-League is again promising a close fought race for the top four final-series spots as seen in the previous three seasons.
Despite the tight economic times, the fans are responding with the top four clashes hosted by Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney over the past fortnight all drawing season high crowds.
A-League Results Round 10
| Adelaide | 2 | Melbourne | 3 |
| Sydney | 3 | Central Coast | 3 |
| Newcastle | 1 | Queensland | 2 |
| Perth | 2 | Wellington | 0 |
A-League Ladder Round 10/21
| Team | GD* | Points |
| Melbourne | 8 | 17 |
| Adelaide | 3 | 17 |
| Sydney | 7 | 16 |
| Queensland | 3 | 15 |
| Central Coast | 4 | 14 |
| Newcastle | -7 | 10 |
| Perth | -11 | 10 |
| Wellington | -7 | 9 |
*GD = Goal Difference
Round 11
Friday November 7
Sydney vs Wellington
Sydney Football Stadium, 8 pm
Saturday November 8
Queensland vs Melbourne
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, 7 pm
Saturday November 15
Central Coast vs Adelaide
Bluetongue Stadium, Central Coast, 7.:30 pm
