Melbourne Victory will come up against an Aussie in the next round of the AFC Champions League when they find out their last 16 opponent tonight (Wednesday).
After creating history by making the knockout phase for the first time with a 2-1 win over Gamba Osaka on Tuesday night, Victory now waits to see who they will meet later this month.
Kevin Muscat’s side, who finished second in Group G, will meet the winner of Group E which will be either China’s Jiangsu Suning or Korean club Jeonbuk Hyundai.
Jiangsu is the club of Socceroo defender Trent Sainsbury – as well as Brazilian duo Ramires and Alex Teixeira – while Erik Paartalu currently plays for Jeonbuk.
The K-League club currently lead the standings by one point from Jiangsu, with the two sides to meet tonight in Korea in a straight shootout for top spot.
It means either way a familiar face will be standing in Victory’s way when they host the first leg in the round of 16 at AAMI Park on May 17.
There’s another Aussie still in contention to progress from that group, with Nathan Burns’ FC Tokyo a chance to jump into second spot if they can win their final group match against Binh Duong tonight.
For Victory, they won’t care which side they meet after making the knockout phase for the very first time.
It was a huge relief for Muscat especially, having crashed out of the tournament in the group stage three times previously as a player.
“It’s great for the football club. We’ve managed to create some history,” he said.
“I’m so elated for the group. We’ll enjoy this one.”
“I’m immediately focused and turning my attention to the opponents for the next game.”
The home leg on May 17 will be the final home game for Victory for club legend Archie Thompson, retiring defender Matthieu Delpierre and Wellington Phoenix-bound Kosta Barbarouses.
