Auckland City brace for ‘physical’ clash

A former All Whites defender with intimate knowledge of Japanese champions Kashima Antlers believes Auckland City FC can expect a fast and physical clash in their Fifa Club World Cup playoff in Yokohama tonight.

Capped three times for New Zealand in 2011, Michael Fitzgerald plays professionally in Japan’s top tier for Albirex Niigata.

The Tokoroa-born 28-year-old visited the Auckland City squad ahead of their match against the newly-crowned J.league winners and pointed to defence as the key component for the Kiwi side making their eighth appearance at the tournament.

‘‘They’re a very physical team and they like to press aggressively,’’ Fitzgerald told aucklandcityfc.com.

‘‘They’ve got some very good defenders and they’ll be a hard team to break down but if Auckland City FC do not concede in the first half they’ve got a good chance.’’

Kashima overcame a first-leg deficit to score an upset win on away goals in the J.league final last weekend, after finishing third in the regular season standings.

The club fought themselves into that position despite losing four straight matches during their campaign, putting them 20 points off the pace of the leading team.

Fitzgerald, who played alongside Auckland City stalwart and assistant coach Ivan Vicelich during his time with the national side, said there was no doubting the challenge Kashima presented.

‘‘Even the team that finished second, Kawasaki Frontale, played the best football in the J.league this season but fell away.

‘‘When it comes to the big games Kashima just seems to have a knack for winning. I’m not sure why that is but they’re a very strong team.’’

Kashima are fully professional team with an estimated annual turnover of US$100 million, one which dwarfed the largely amateur Auckland outfit.

The match starts at 11.30pm tonight.