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City ready for Club World Cup

Words: ACFC Media

Monday 11 December 2023

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Auckland City FC is ready for its date with FIFA Club World Cup destiny against cash-laden Al Ittihad and its gallery of superstars at King Abdulaziz Stadium in Jeddah tomorrow.

Never before has the amateur club from Kiwitea Street in Auckland's Sandringham taken on a more highly fancied opponent than the one that awaits on Tuesday evening.

Karim Benzema, the former Real Madrid and France international, amassed 238 goals in 439 matches for the Spanish giants while also earning 97 caps for his country bagging 37 goals.

For Al Ittihad, the French-Algerian has been equally prolific with a more than handy 9 goals in 13 appearances since his switch to Saudi Arabia.

His individual accolades alone could decorate the Auckland City FC clubrooms by itself and are too numerous for Navy Blues supporters to contemplate.

For N'golo Kante, read two English Premier League titles with Leicester City and Chelsea, a FIFA World Cup winners medal earned in 2018 with France, a nation he has won just over 50 caps for, accolades that impress even before you take into account his UEFA Champions League title win with the London side, not to mention a FIFA Club World Cup.

The 30-year-old Brazil international Fabinho, formerly with Liverpool marshals the Al Ittihad midfield and, like Kante, boasts a UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup winners medal.

By stark contrast, the Auckland City FC side has won continental and domestic titles galore across a near 20-year run of success, but there is no comparison between the levels, and that's before you remember the City side includes a school teacher, a real estate agent, two sales reps, a painter and another two players who each work for a water delivery company.

The money spent by Al Ittihad on the three aforementioned players would be enough to keep the lights on at Kiwitea Street, and perhaps the entirety of football in New Zealand and Oceania, for decades, while the City players earn no more than $150.00 NZD per week, as regulated and enforced by national governing body New Zealand Football.

The lionshare of the prize money, $500,000.00 USD, also goes to New Zealand Football who retains a portion of it for future international club competitions then splits much of the rest with 31 other amateur clubs in their regional/national league set-up.

It is a story of the haves and the have-nots, there is no hiding from it, and much will depend on every players who features having the game of his life, even to ensure a respectable and credible performance.

There is a lot of excitement in the Auckland City FC camp about the challenge ahead of them and there is a smattering of professional and international experience within the side that ensures temperament won't be an issue.

Skipper, Cam Howieson, started his career with Burnley and then St. Mirren, and has appeared for New Zealand in FIFA World Cup qualifiers as recently as 2021. Adam Mitchell, another New Zealand international, provides experience while veteran forwards Ryan De Vries and Emiliano Tade have both played as professionals in Japan, Ireland, South Africa and Argentina.

The latter two are also the last remaining players from the Auckland City FC side that finished third in this tournament 9 years ago in Marrakesh, Morocco, when they defeated Moghreb Tetouan, ES Setif and Cruz Azul on the way to bronze.

Other players to feature professional football experience in the past include Michael Den Heijer, Jordan Vale, Chinese national Tong Zhou and Gerard Garriga.

There are elements in Auckland City FC's favour, but not many, though they are worth remembering - the side has played over 50 matches this year in a season that began on January 3 for the 2022 edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, and there has been no break, which means the fitness levels of the team should be much higher than they were last February when the side lost 3-0 to Al Ahly in Tangiers, Morocco.

There was also encouragement for City who also managed 1-1 draws in two friendly matches with UAE Pro League sides, Al Thaid and United FC, coming back from a goal down in each game.

This match could be Auckland City FC's last at a FIFA Club World Cup under the present format with the Navy Blues currently sitting in contention for a place at the expanded FIFA Club World Cup USA 2025 after winning two of the past three editions of the OFC Champions League, which means no other club in the Oceania Football Confederation can catch them.

City has played 16 games at the tournament, winning five and losing the other 11, scoring ten goals along the way and conceding 26.

The match is broadcast live on FIFA+ to a New Zealand audience on Wednesday 13 December 2023 from 7.00am onwards.

Ends

Match Details
FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023
Tuesday 12 December / Wednesday 13 December NZST
Al Ittihad v Auckland City FC
King Abdulaziz Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Kick-off: 9.00pm local / 7.00am NZST
LIVE on FIFA+

AUCKLAND CITY FC - SQUAD

1. Conor TRACEY (GK) 92 games / 0 goals - 2017, 2022, 2023
2. Mario ILICH 120 games / 8 goals - 2018*, 2022, 2023
3. Adam MITCHELL 123 games / 7 goals - 2022, 2023
4. Christian GRAY 41 games / 3 goals - 2022, 2023
5. Tom BOULET 1 games / 0 goals - N/A
7. Cam HOWIESON (c) 180 games / 38 goals - 2017, 2022, 2023
8. Gerard GARRIGA 64 games / 13 goals - 2022, 2023
9. Angus KILKOLLY 92 games / 51 goals - 2018*, 2022, 2023
10. Dylan MANICKUM 124 games / 47 goals - 2022, 2023
11. Ryan DE VRIES 186 games / 96 goals - 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023
12. Regont MURATI 33 games / 3 goals - 2022, 2023
13. Nathan LOBO 56 games / 2 goals - 2022, 2023
14. Jordan VALE 136 games / 7 goals - 2022, 2023
15. Aidan CAREY 66 games / 2 goals - 2022, 2023
16. Joe LEE 78 games / 18 goals - 2022, 2023
18. Sebastian CIGANDA (GK) 1 game / 0 goals - N/A
19. Liam GILLION 69 games / 19 goals - 2022, 2023
20. Emiliano TADE 241 games / 152 goals - 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023
21. Adam BELL 19 games / 0 goals - N/A
22. Tong ZHOU 32 games / 1 goal - N/A
23. Alfie ROGERS 109 games / 5 goals - 2015, 2016, 2017
24. Joe WALLIS (GK) 16 games / 0 goals - N/A
25. Michael DEN HEIJER 58 games / 1 goal - 2015, 2022, 2023

COACH: Albert RIERA
ASSISTANT: Ivan VICELICH
GK COACH: Enaut ZUBIKARAI
FITNESS: Adria CASALS
LOGISTICS: Keith COTON
PHYSIO: Matt PAYNE