Football: City to face Asian giants

Auckland City's Manel Exposito (left) challenges Yojiro Takahagi of Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Photo / Getty Images

Auckland City are set to play two top international sides in the next four months, including a match against Japan in January.

Final details are still to be confirmed but the game should be signed off in the next few weeks.

The Oceania champions are also being lined up for a game against Uzbekistan, who beat the All Whites 3-1 in September.

For all that Auckland City have achieved over the past decade - and it is a considerable amount - they are still essentially an amateur club side, where the majority of the players juggle football around work and study.

Japan are an Asian football super power. They have qualified for the last five World Cups (reaching the second round in 2002 and 2010) and have won the Asian Cup a record four times. They boast the richest domestic league on the continent, and have players at top clubs in Europe, including Stuttgart, Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon and both Milan clubs.

Japan faced Brazil last week and have also played Colombia, Uruguay, Ivory Coast and Costa Rica this year.

Auckland City are set to be the unlikely addition to that list in January. The club have been invited to face the Samurai Blue in Newcastle on the eve of the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia. Japan open their campaign against Palestine in Newcastle, with their other group games against Iraq in Brisbane and Jordan in Melbourne.

Auckland City have probably been recognised for their meritorious performances in Japan at the Club World Cup, particularly in recent years. In 2011, they were beaten but far from disgraced by J-League champions Kashiwa Reysol and the following year lost 1-0 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima, with the game in the balance until the final minutes.

There's a danger of the January match descending into a one-sided affair. Remember what Japan did to the All Whites in March, racing to a 4-0 lead inside 17 minutes before the New Zealanders fought back for a final score of 4-2?

However, Auckland City coach Ramon Tribulietx has pedigree in preparing teams to face opposition a few tiers above, having managed the feat at the last three Club World Cups.

The ASB Premiership side are also believed to be close to confirming a match against Uzbekistan as part of an extended build-up before this year's Club World Cup in December. The game would be staged in Dubai, where the New Zealand team will hold a training camp before flying on to Morocco.

Uzbekistan will also be formidable opposition. The White Wolves comfortably beat the All Whites 3-1 last month and are ranked third in Asia behind Iran and Japan.

The opportunity has come about through connections made in 2009, when Auckland City hosted Kuwait in a friendly at their Sandringham ground.

Later that year, they participated in the Club World Cup in Dubai, where they made history by winning two matches, including a dramatic 3-2 defeat of African champions TP Mazembe.

That followed an extensive training camp in the United Arab Emirates and Auckland City are keen to repeat the formula this year.