The Japanese side currently top the group with a one-point advantage over Sydney FC and a two-point cushion over Persik, but face a tough test against the Indonesian league champions, who have won both previous ACL matches at Manahan Stadium in Solo.

And the task has not been made any easier for Reds boss Holger Osieck with striker Washington, defender Marcus Tuilo Tanaka and skipper Nobuhisa Yamada all ruled out, while midfielder Yuki Abe is an injury doubt.

Washington did not travel to Indonesia after picking up an injury during Sunday's 1-1 draw Omiya Ardija in the J.League. The Brazilian played the full 90 minutes against Omiya, scoring his seventh goal of the season, but complained later of pain in his leg and was left out by Osieck from the team's touring party shortly before their departure for Solo on Monday.

Meanwhile, Yamada and Tulio are both serving one-match suspensions - Yamada for his red card on April 25 at Shanghai Shenhua and Tulio for accumulating two yellow cards.

Urawa could also be without Abe, who injured his foot during Sunday's game, but midfielder Takahito Soma appears to have recovered from his own leg injury and has joined the squad.

Reds have drawn both of their previous away games in Group E in Sydney and Shanghai but Osiek expects his side to face a tough test with the climate, pitch conditions and vociferous support for the home side in Solo.

"We are not going to a match but a fight. You have to keep that in your mind and set your focus really well. You just have to keep fighting for the full 90 minutes," he said.

Persik coach Daniel Roekito will certainly not be looking to make things easy for the J.League outfit, who beat his side 3-0 in Saitiama in March. While Persik have yet to manage a point or a goal on their travels, they have been perfect at Manahan Stadium with a 1-0 win against Shanghai Shenhua and 2-1 victory over Sydney.

"We have already played against Urawa and we know what they are capable of doing. I can assure you that they will not have it easy this time around as we are also aspiring to qualify for the knockout stage," said Roekito.

"We have proven that we have what it takes to compete at this level and we want to take it further by winning all of our home matches.

"Urawa are stronger than us in technique but our players are equally as good in terms of speed and skill and Christian (Gonzalez), Ronald (Fagundez), Danilo (Fernando) or Budi (Sudarsono) could make all the difference.

"I also think that the tropical conditions here will be a crucial factor as most Japanese teams dislike playing in this hot weather. It has given us an edge in the past so why should it not be a factor again?"

Defender Zainuri is suspended after receiving two yellow cards but Roekito's main concern appears to be fatigue with his players currently competing on three different fronts.

"We are facing a difficult situation because we are playing in three different competitions - the AFC Champions League, Liga Indonesia and Copa Indonesia," he added.

"We need to rotate our players well since some of them are also being called up soon to join the national team for the Asian Cup."