Auckland City set to lift for Seoul test

Friday 27 January 2017

Picture: FIFA via Getty Images

HONG KONG – Auckland City FC are ready to try and start the Lunar New Year with a bang when they take on South Korean champions FC Seoul in the opening match of the Nike Lunar Year Cup in Hong Kong on Saturday night.

With Hong Kong's celebrations for the start of the Year of the Rooster set to be among the biggest in the world there is a chance the crowd at Hong Kong Stadium could be in festive mood but the Navy Blues’ focus is kept sharp by the calibre of opposition awaiting them.

Auckland City has previously beaten professional clubs from Mexico, UAE, Australia, Algeria, Morocco and DR Congo among others so the chance to add another scalp to that collection is always ample motivation for the Sandringham-based club.

“These are the games everyone wants to play,” said Auckland City coach Ramon Tribulietx.

“Again it’s an opportunity to test ourselves as a team and every individual against a very big team from Korea, the best team in Korea right now.”

With the Korean champions currently in pre-season, Tribulietx acknowledges Seoul might be a little underdone but an off season which has seen Brazilian striker Adriano depart and a number of Republic of Korea internationals join the club creates an air of mystery about how Auckland’s opponents will look on the night.

“It’s difficult to figure out what they’re going to do. We’ve watched a lot of footage and we understand who are the key players for them. We understand their common patterns but all that stuff is from last season so it’s difficult to figure out if they’ll be doing the same things this season. They’ve got a few new players in there as well.

“For us it’s about making sure we play our game, we try to have the ball more than them and prove ourselves against a big club once again.”

Key players to watch for the two-time AFC Champions League finalists include Montenegrin striker Dejan Damjanović, who is a three-time winner of the K-League golden boot, and veteran striker Park Chu-young whose resumè includes stints with Arsenal, Monaco and Celta Vigo as well as over 60 caps for the Korea Republic. Spanish midfielder Osmar Barba will work to lay a platform in front of the Seoul defence.

Auckland City FC and FC Seoul kick off the Nike Lunar New Year Cup at 3pm local time (8pm NZDT) with host club Kitchee SC and SCG Muangthong United from Thailand meeting in the evening kickoff at 5.30pm local time.

Meanwhile, live streaming of the Lunar New Year Cup has been confirmed and will be available via www.on.cc and www.facebook.com/onccnews

Ends

Match Details
Nike Lunar New Year Cup
Saturday 28 January, 2017
Auckland City FC v FC Seoul
Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong
Kick-off: 3pm local (8pm NZDT)
#ACvSE