Vissel Kobe v Melbourne City ACL Elite preview: Details, schedule

Melbourne City are back in action in the AFC Champions League Elite on Wednesday night.

The Isuzu UTE A-League champions are in Japan to face J1 League powerhouse Vissel Kobe midweek on matchday two following their 2-0 defeat to Sanfrecce Hiroshima a fortnight ago.

Aurelio Vidmar’s City will look to kick-start their ACL Elite campaign against Vissel Kobe, who are fighting to retain their J1 League crown, as they continue to gear up for a Round 1 showdown versus Western Sydney Wanderers in the Isuzu UTE A-League on October 18.

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Format, prize money & fixtures

City earned an ACL Elite berth after finishing second in 2024-25 before going on to win the Isuzu UTE A-League Championship.

The prize normally reserved for the Isuzu UTE A-League Premiers, it was the highest-placed Australian side who gained entry into the competition given Premiers Plate winners Auckland FC cannot compete due to their ineligibility for AFC tournaments. In 2024-25, just qualifying for the AFC Champions League Elite netted teams, including Central Coast Mariners, USD$800k (AUD $1.27m).

Eyeing last-16 qualification for the first time in the history of their men’s team, City’s league matches will be played between mid-September and mid-February, with the top eight teams in the East Region League Stage progressing to the Round of 16.

City will play three more matches at home – facing Thai powerhouse Buriram United, Malaysian juggernaut Johor Darul Ta’zim FC, and South Korea’s Gangwon FC – and four away, travelling to face two-time J1 League champions Vissel Kobe on Wednesday, Mitch Duke’s Machida Zelvia, FC Seoul and Ulsan HD.

In the last 16, each remaining club will face another club from their region – East or West – in a two-legged, home-and-away tie to decide which eight clubs progress to a centralised “Finals” campaign.

Team news

Wednesday night could see Kosovo international Elbasan Rashani make his Melbourne City debut.

The star winger did not feature against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, having just arrived in Melbourne. However, Rashani is in the squad set to go head-to-head with Vissel Kobe.

City’s trip to Japan marks a homecoming for new signing Takeshi Kanamori, who joined the Isuzu UTE A-League champions this off-season. An ACL Elite winner with Kashima Antlers, he debuted against Sanfrecce on matchday one.

It also remains to be seen whether Socceroo Mathew Leckie will be involved after sustaining a hamstring problem in the matchday one defeat.

Form

This will be City’s second competitive fixture in the space of a fortnight as the Isuzu UTE A-League champions also build towards their domestic opener against Western Sydney Wanderers on October 18.

On matchday one, City went down 2-0 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima at AAMI Park – their first competitive match in almost two months.

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“Obviously when you lose, it’s always disappointing. But I think we’re pretty positive with the outcome in terms of giving us a quite good prep going into the season and the next game,” Vidmar said after the loss to Sanfrecce.

“We will get better. That’s really our first competitive game since the Grand Final. But we did a lot of good things. Obviously we got a little bit tired from around 60-70-minute mark. We made some changes and it really freshened it up.

“The kids who came on did quite well. Probably disappointed in the way we conceded the goals. We should’ve been a bit more positive the way we wanted to play out in that moment before we gave away the penalty.

“But as I said, it’s going to be really important learning moments for us.”

City have twice featured in the ACL Elite, falling in the group stage on both occasions, including in 2023-24.

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As for Vissel Kobe, they are second in the J1 League and just four points off the pace in pursuit of a three-peat after a 2-1 win over Shimizu S-Pulse on the weekend.

In their opening ACL Elite fixture, Vissel Kobe defeated Kevin Muscat’s Shanghai Port 3-0.

On the continental stage, Vissel Kobe have never won the ACL Elite – though they did reach the 2020 semi-finals. Last season, they beat Central Coast Mariners en route to the Round of 16.