The Reds are ready for one of the biggest challenges in their short history as the club heads into the crucial first leg of their historic AFC Champions League Quarter Final in Japan.

With the first leg being held in Kashima, Adelaide will be aiming to get a result away from home but know it is going to be an extremely tough proposition.

If United can return to Adelaide with at least a point from the Kashima City Stadium, it will set up the September 24 second leg as arguably one of the biggest games in Australian club football history.

The Reds are backing up for their second game in under a week after facing Melbourne Victory in the Hyundai A-League last Friday and while it is a demanding schedule, Vidmar says the team is ready to take it up to the Japanese powerhouse and is confident his players can rise to the occasion.

"I've got a lot of faith in this team,” Vidmar said. "There are a lot of players who love playing with their backs against the wall and this is the perfect set up for them, they thrive on it.”

Kashima are also coming off a short break since their last outing, having played in a 1-1 draw in their domestic competition last Saturday.

With Jonas Salley ruled ineligible to play due to an AFC ruling regarding residency in Australia, Vidmar says he has a number of options in replacing the holding midfielder.

"We've probably got a couple of combinations where we could bring Diego or Fabian (Barbiero) in," said Vidmar about replacing Salley.

"We’ve worked on a couple of things over the last couple of days and we can bring Sarkies further up the field as well."

Marquee striker Paul Agostino got through the full 90 minutes against Melbourne Victory last Friday night and is set to be a lone target up front with strike partner Cristiano going to the bench as Vidmar prepares up for an early Kashima barrage.

Adelaide United had a familiarisation session at an empty Kashima City Stadium yesterday to finalise preparations for the match.

But the Reds know the surroundings will be a lot different when they walk out for the game in front of parochial pro Kashima crowd at the ground that hosted games at the 2002 World Cup.

“The stadium is fantastic and it will be a great atmosphere,” Vidmar said. “The boys actually got to see on DVD what sort of noise they can expect at the stadium. They won't get intimidated by it and we're really looking forward to it.”

United boasted an impressive record of two wins and a draw in their three away games during the group stage of the competition, conceding just one goal.

But facing a Kashima team that scored a staggering 28 goals in their six group matches, the Reds will need to be at their best right across the park to contain the Japanese side.

While the Antlers are likely to press forward against United from the outset, Vidmar says his team is not planning to just defend for 90 minutes in the hope of hanging on to return to Adelaide for the second leg.

“It's over two legs but it doesn't mean we're going to sit back and defend," Vidmar said.

The Antlers, who won their fifth J-League championship last year, currently sit second on the 2008 J-League table and experienced Brazilian coach Oswaldo Oliveira has a formidable squad comprising of classy Brazilian imports and a Japanese national team defender Atsuto Uchida.

The Reds know the magnitude of the task in front of them and if the team from Adelaide can sneak a point away from home, it will provide a mouth watering return leg in a week’s time.

The second leg will take place at Hindmarsh Stadium on Wednesday 24 September (Kick-Off 7.30pm ACST). Tickets for the match are available through Venue*Tix (call 8225 8888 or online at www.venuetix.com.au).

AFC Champions League 2008 – Quarter Final (1st Leg)
ADELAIDE UNITED FC (Australia) vs KASHIMA ANTLERS (Japan)
Wednesday 17 September 2008
Kashima City Stadium, Japan
Kick-Off 7.30PM (ACST) (8pm AET)

Media Coverage:
TV: Live & Exclusive Fox Sports 1 www.foxsports.com.au - Match broadcast commences 7:30pm ACST (8pm AET)
Radio: Fresh FM (Adelaide) 92.7FM www.freshfm.com.au

Adelaide United FC Squad
4.Angelo COSTANZO, 5.Michael VALKANIS, 6.CASSIO, 7.Lucas PANTELIS, 8.Kristian SARKIES, 9.Paul AGOSTINO, 10.CRISTIANO, 13.Travis DODD, 14.Scott JAMIESON, 16.Daniel MULLEN, 18.Robert CORNTHWAITE, 19.Sasa OGNENOVSKI, 20.Mark BIRIGHITTI (GK), 21.Jason SPAGNUOLO, 22.DIEGO, 24.Paul REID, 25.Robert YOUNIS, 26.Fabian BARBIERO, 30.Eugene GALEKOVIC (GK)