Soccer: Aucklanders could face might of Liverpool

It might be hard to imagine, but Auckland and Liverpool have a few things in common.

There's the busy port and a high proportion of golf courses, museums, bars and art galleries, and they might also soon be sharing a date in Japan.

As well as dramatically lifting the Champions League on Thursday, Liverpool also qualified to represent Europe at December's World Club Championships in Japan.

Hoping to take their place at that tournament among Rafael Benitez's champions of Europe are a bunch of amateurs from Auckland.

Liverpool became the second side to qualify for Japan, behind North American champions Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica, and the Oceania Club Champs starting in Tahiti on Wednesday will provide the third of the six teams to take part.

It's a tall order for Allan Jones' Auckland City side, especially against Australia's Sydney FC who go into the Oceania Club Championships as overwhelming favourites. But stranger things in sport and all that.

Sydney midfielder Robbie Middleby, who played for the Kingz in their inaugural season in 1999/2000, is well aware of the favourite's tag around their necks and says it fits comfortably.

"We have a very strong team and we're all pretty confident we'll do well," he said from Sydney.

But try suggesting that Sydney are the glamour side of Australasian football and Middleby abruptly interrupts with something of a guffaw.

He will not have any of it - despite the fact they have seven full internationals and nine former age-group internationals among their 20-strong squad.

Despite the fact the King of Bling Dwight Yorke will pull on the blue and white of Sydney this year and despite the fact they are the early favourites to win the new Australian A-League.

"It's a funny thing people calling us the glamour side," he said almost philosophically.

"The Australian press has made a big deal out of it but we don't see it that way because the players that have been recruited aren't really glamour players - they're more hard-working, team players."

Sydney will need to work hard in Tahiti considering they have to play five games in 11 days if they are to qualify for Japan.

They face Auckland in the first game of a tournament that carries a minimum US$1m bonus for the winner but Middleby admits they know little about Auckland or any of their rivals.

"I've spoken to a few of my friends in New Zealand and they said Auckland don't have a bad side, although I don't really know of any individuals," he said.

"We don't really know much about the island sides either, other than a lot of them transfer their national team players in to build up their sides, so they'll be pretty strong too. But we definitely see Auckland as the main competition."

* THE DRAW

Group A

Sydney FC (Australia)
Auckland City (New Zealand)
Sobou FC (Papua New Guinea)
AS Pirae (Tahiti)

Group B

Tafea FC (Vanuatu)
Makuru FC (Solomon Islands)
AS Magenta (New Caledonia)
AS Manu ura (Tahiti)

June 1: Sydney FC vs Auckland City

Sobou FC vs AS Pirae. June 2: Tafea FC vs Makuru FC. As Magenta vs AS Manu ura. June 3: AS Pirae vs Auckland City. Sobou FC vs Sydney FC. June 4: AS Magenta vs Tafea FC. AS Manu ura vs Makuru. June 5: Sydney FC vs AS Pirae. Auckland City vs Sobou FC. June 6: AS Manu ura vs Tafea FC. Makuru FC vs AS Magenta. June 9: Winner Group A vs Runner Up GroupB. Winner Group B vs runner Up Group A. June 11: Final and playoff for 3rd and 4th.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY