Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC learn ACL fate

The AFC Champions League (ACL) 2011 draw took place tonight in Kuala Lumpur with Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC learning their pathway for the 2011 competition.

Melbourne Victory returns to the ACL for the second straight season and again find themselves in Group E where they will face Jeju United (Korea Republic), 2008 ACL winners Gamba Osaka (Japan) and Tianjin Teda (China).

Drawn in Group H, Sydney FC, who return to the ACL for the first time since their group stage exit in 2007, face Shanghai Shenhua (China), Suwon Samsung Bluewings (Korea Republic) and the winner of the Emperor’s Cup who will earn Japan’s fourth ACL position.

The Sky Blues first ever ACL match was against Shanghai Shenhua in the 2007 competition in which Sydney FC won 2-1 away.

32 teams will take part in Asia’s premier club competition, 30 of which have qualified directly with two coming via the six-team play-offs.

Melbourne Victory-Group E

Match Day 1: Tue, March 1 – Gamba Osaka (Expo 170 Stadium, Osaka, Japan)
Match Day 2: Tue, March 15 – Jeju United (Etihad Stadium, Melbourne)
Match Day 3: Tue, April 5 – Tianjin Teda (Tianjin Teda Football Stadium, Tianjin, China)
Match Day 4: Wed, April 20 – Tianjin Teda (Etihad Satdium, Melbourne)
Match Day 5: Wed, May 4 – Gamba Osaka (Etihad Satdium, Melbourne)
Match Day 6: Wed, May 11 – Jeju United (Jeju World Cup Staduum, South Korea)

Sydney FC-Group H

Match Day 1: Wed, March 2 – Suwon Bluewings (Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)
Match Day 2: Wed, March 16 – Emperors Cup Winner, Japan (TBC)
Match Day 3: Wed, April 6 – Shanghai Shenhua (Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)
Match Day 4: Tue, April 19 – Shanghai Shenhua (Honh Kou Stadium, Shanghai, China)
Match Day 5: Tue, May 3 – Suwon Bluewings (Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea)
Match Day 6: Tue, May 10 – Emperors Cup Winner, Japan (Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)