Melbourne drew possibly the second toughest group of the competition after they were pitted against Chonburi FC (Thailand), Gamba Osaka (Japan) and the Chunnam Dragons (Korea Republic) in Group G of the AFC Champions League 2008.

Chonburi FC won the 2007 Thailand Premier League. Gamba Osaka finished third in the 2007 J. League and second in the 2006 Emperor’s Cup. The Chunnam Dragons won the 2007 Korean FA Cup.

But Adelaide United has been drawn to face Chinese champions Changchun Yatai, Korean champions Pohang Steelers and champions of Vietnam Binh Duong.

The draw has a sense of familiarity for The Reds who will face teams from the same countries as it competed against in the 2007 edition.

The draw was announced at AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon with Adelaide United one of the few clubs to feature in the competition from last year.

Coach Aurelio Vidmar believes while all three teams will prove extremely tough, it is a positive for United to be drawn against clubs from the countries The Reds have been to previously.

“It is a big plus having been to these countries before but with new teams it will be difficult,” Vidmar said.

“Being one of the very few clubs that has re-qualified for the competition for the second year in a row, we can go in confidently and just need to approach the competition with a fearless attitude and back our own ability which I think is good enough to compete at this level.”

Changchun Yatai, founded in 1996, was crowned Chinese champions in 2007 just a year after being promoted into China’s top league, the Chinese Super League. As Shandong Luneng showed in this year’s league, the Chinese champions will provide a serious challenge.

South Korea’s Pohang Steelers qualified for the 2008 AFC Champions League by defeating Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the championship playoff (Seongnam was the Korean team Adelaide United played against in the 2007 AFC Champions League). Despite finishing 5th in the K-League, the Steelers defeated four teams to win the championship playoff and qualify for Asia’s biggest club competition.

Rounding out the group is the Vietnamese champions Binh Duong, located just outside Ho Chi Min City. Playing its home games at the Dau Stadium in Thu Dau Mot, Binh Dong

The Reds qualified for the 2007 AFC Champions League after being Hyundai A-League Premiers in 2005/06 before qualifying for the 2008 tournament when it made it through to last season’s Grand Final, with Melbourne Victory having been crowned Premiers.

In its inaugural AFC Champions League appearance in 2007, Adelaide United failed to progress to the knockout stage with only the top team from each group advancing further into the tournament.

Now that The Reds have experienced the league and gained some knowledge of what to expect, the club is aiming to progress to the knockout stage and show Asia the growing strength of Australian football.

AFC Champions League 2008 - Groups
Group A:
A1: Sepahan (Iran)
A2: Kuruvchi (Uzbekistan)
A3: Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia)
A4: Al Ittihad (Syria)

Group B:
B1: Al Wasl (UAE)
B2: Saipa FC (Iran)
B3: Kuwait SC (Kuwait)
B4: Al Quwa Al Jawiya (Iraq)

Group C:
C1: Al Sadd (Qatar)
C2: Al Wahda (UAE)
C3: Al Karama (Syria)
C4: Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia)

Group D:
D1: Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan)
D2: Al Gharafa (Qatar)
D3: Arbil (Iraq)
D4: Qadsiya FC (Kuwait)

Group E:
E1: Changchun Yatai (China)
E2: Adelaide Utd (Australia)
E3: Pohang Steelers (Korea Republic)
E4: Binh Duong (Vietnam)

Group F:
F1: Krung Thai Bank FC (Thailand)
F2: Beijing Guo’an (China)
F3: Nam Dinh (Vietnam)
F4: Kashima Antlers (Japan)

Group G:
G1: Melbourne Victory (Australia)
G2: Chonburi FC (Thailand)
G3: Gamba Osaka (Japan)
G4: Chunnam Dragons (Korea Republic)
AFC Champions League 2007 Champions – Urawa Reds (Japan)
AFC Champions League 2008 - Match Day Schedule
Match Day 1: Wednesday 12 March 2008
Match Day 2: Wednesday 19 March 2008
Match Day 3: Wednesday 9 April 2008
Match Day 4: Wednesday 23 April 2008
Match Day 5: Wednesday 7 May 2008
Match Day 6: Wednesday 21 May 2008
Match Day 7: 17 September 2008 (Quarter-Final 1st Leg)
Match Day 8: 24 September 2008 (Quarter-Final 2nd Leg)

Match Day 9: 8 October 2007 (Semi-Final 1st Leg)
Match Day 10: 22 October 2007 (Semi-Final 2nd Leg)

Match Day 11: 5 November 2007 (Final 1st Leg)
Match Day 12: 12 November 2007 (Final 2nd Leg)