The two sides will meet at the Tokyo National Stadium, in a play-off game with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals against Japanese outfit Gamba Osaka.

The winner of that match will then meet European champions Manchester United in the semi –final.

Waitakere were beaten 3-1 by Iran's Sepahan in last year's Club World Cup opener, and have vowed not to make the same mistake again when they face Adelaide United tomorrow.

"It's all about redemption for us. We were really disappointed about the way we performed last year," Hay said. "We cannot start half asleep like we did last year."

In their debut as Oceanian champions, the West Auckland team gifted two soft goals in the first five minutes of the 2007 preliminary play-off.

"We gained a huge amount just out of the experience," said 33-year-old Hay, who played for England's Leeds United between 1999 and 2002.

"We had a year of thinking about what was required at this level. We want to come off the pitch in this tournament after we gave our real, real best."

Waitakere coach Chris Milicich said the Adelaide game would complete "one unfinished business."

"We've felt unfinished in the last 12 months. As a team, we've played very strongly and worked our way back here. The reality is we are never going to win this competition," he said.

"Where we're sitting right now is an opportunity to play the second best side in Asia," he said of Adelaide, who lost to Gamba in the AFC Champions League final for a place here.

“So we have to focus on the game and that game alone."

Milicich's side is made up of what he called "semi-professionals" who have other jobs or previously played abroad, mostly in Australia and Britain.

In the past year they have signed players like Fiji international striker Roy Krishna, 21, whom Milicich called a "very exciting talent."

Former J-League and Swiss League midfielder Adriani Pimenta of Brazil joined the side in October.

Waitakere scored an encouraging 3-1 win over Chinese side Zhejiang Greentown FC at the Ningbo Sports Centre in their final warm up game on Saturday.

Goals from Roy Krishna and a late Jeff Campbell header followed Allan Pearce’s ninth minute opener and paved the way for the win which proved the perfect preparation for Milicich and his side.

“It was just what we wanted.” said Chris Milicich. “A 3-1 win over the eighth-best professional team in China. I could not have asked for anything more."