Japanese powerhouse club Urawa Red Diamonds are in Sydney tonight to take on the 2014 AFC Champions League winners Western Sydney at 7pm in Campbelltown.

Urawa last won Asia’s blue ribbon event in 2007 and qualified for the most recent edition of the ACL after they were runners up at the end of the 2016 J-League season.

The Wanderers head into the opening group game high on confidence after beating their bitter rivals in the Sydney derby over the weekend and Antonis said the home team were looking forward to taking on Asia’s best.

“Of course, the Asian Champions League is a great opportunity not just for me but for everyone to show what we can do on the world stage,” he said. “All the boys and myself are going to be pumped up for that. We have goals that we want to achieve in both the A-League and Asian Champions League as well. We are going to take it step by step and it’s going to be great experience playing in both competitions.”

The Wanderers have one of the toughest groups in the ACL, especially with China’s Shanghai SIPG featuring Brazilian International duo Oscar and Hulk, but their $100 million combined price tag does not faze Antonis.  

“When that game comes all the boys will give it all they can,” he said. "We are excited to play against those big players on the world stage but we are just going to take it week by week.”

Meanwhile Antonis remained tight-lipped about whether his former club had made any offers for his services when he decided to return to Australia.

“I have no comment about that,” he said. “I’d rather keep that to myself. Some things I don’t like to speak about with what happened there. There are other things as well that I don’t want to talk too much about. I just don’t want to answer anything about Sydney that’s all.”