Brisbane Roar’s first AFC Champions League away game is creeping up slowly with Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan the host of the match day two fixture.
Brisbane Roar-s first AFC Champions League away game is creeping up slowly with Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan the host of the match day two fixture.
After both sides failed to take any points in the opening round – the Roar losing 2-0 to a determined FC Tokyo side and Ulsan Hyundai handing Beijing a 2-1 defeat – a ‘must win- attitude has been adopted for both teams in next Tuesday night-s match at the Beijing Workers Stadium.
With former Brisbane striker Reinaldo now plying his trade for Beijing, the match has been given some extra spice as both teams chase their first victory in the 2012 AFC Champions League.
Brisbaneroar.com.au take a closer look at Beijing Guoan and all the information you-ll need ahead of next week-s fixture in China.
How did they qualify for the AFC Champions League?
Beijing Guoan qualified for the 2012 AFC Champions League after finishing second in the 2011 season of the Chinese Super League.
They qualified alongside the Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande.
How did they fare in their most recent domestic season?
Beijing finished 15 points behind Guangzhou with 53 points in the last year-s CSL campaign.
They played 30 matches, winning 14, drawing 11 and losing just five times with a goal difference of 28 (scored 49 and conceded 21).
Beijing averaged a crowd of 40,397 throughout the season.
Schedule around AFC Champions League fixture against Brisbane Roar?
Beijing kicked off their CSL campaign for 2012 on the weekend, losing 3-1 away to Guangzhou R&F with former Brisbane Roar striker Reinaldo netting the consolation for the visitors.
Around the AFC Champions League match against Brisbane, Beijing host Nicolas Anelka-s Shanghai Shenhua on Friday 16 March and will travel away to play Hangzhou on Sunday 25 March, five days after their continental clash.
Squad?
The most notable player on the Beijing books is former Roar fan favourite Reinaldo, who left the club mid last season after signing for Al-Wakra in the Qatari League. The big striker also had a quick stint with Al-Raed before joining Beijing Guoan in the CSL off-season.
Chinese Super League rules allow clubs to have five foreign players, including one player from an AFC nation.
Prior to season start, the club let go of former Newcastle Jets striker Joel Griffiths and Honduras frontman Walter Martinez – who scored a combined 21 goals last season – and brought in Manu (Portugal) and Andrija Kaluderovic (Serbia).
Darko Matic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Francois (Sengal) are Beijing-s other foreign players with dual Australian and Brazilian citizen Reinaldo counting as their AFC representative.
Coach?
Beijing is coached by former Portuguese international Jaime Pacheco.
The 53-year-old represented his country on 25 occasions, including at the 1984 European Championships and 1986 FIFA World Cup. His former clubs include FC Porto and Sporting Club de Portugal.
He had managed eleven teams prior to taking up the post with Beijing last season, including Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab who he took to the Round of 16 in the 2009 AFC Champions League.
Stadium?
Beijing Guoan-s home fixtures are located at the Beijing Workers Stadium, in the Chaoyang district of north-east Beijing.
The multi-purpose stadium opened in 1959 but was last renovated in 2004 and holds 66,161 spectators.
Team colours?
Beijing-s home jerseys are green and they play in white for away fixtures.
