Friday Focus ... the Mariners face a tough task in winning the Asian Champions League. Source: Brett Costello / News Limited
It?s been five years since Australian teams started competing in the Asian Champions League and, apart from Adelaide United?s 2008 run to the final, A-League teams have struggled to compete with the region's best sides.
Can the Mariners become the first A-League team to win the ACL?
Central Coast Mariners will fly the flag as our sole representative in the 2013 group stages, but they won’t find it easy, with their minds firmly set on battles closer to home.
With six rounds of the A-League remaining, the ladder leaders are locked in a three-horse race with the Wanderers and Victory for the Premiers Plate and, beyond that, a tilt at a long-awaited maiden championship.
Also counting against the Mariners is the fact the domestic leagues for several Asian nations mirrors that of European leagues, meaning they can focus on the group stages without domestic distractions, a luxury not afforded to Aussie sides.
Long-haul flights and difficult weather conditions are other factors teams must contend with in the lucrative competition.
For all their domestic dominance over the past seasons, juggling the A-League and Asian Champions League has proved too much for Brisbane Roar and it won’t be any easier for Graham Arnold’s men.
Watch the video at the top of the page and vote in our poll whether the Mariners buck the trend and become the first A-League side to taste Asian Champions League glory?
Watch Kick Off, tonight at 6.30pm (EDT) on Fox Sports 1HD, as special guest, Roar captain Matt SmIth, joins the team to discuss the Mariners chances.
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