In Group A, Amicale host Solomon Warriors while Hekari United travel to Ba in the other clash. The Group B play features newcomers Dragon welcoming Waitakere United and Mont-Dore heading to defending champions Auckland City.
See below for a look at the action that’s in store across the four matches in the third round of the OFC Champions League.
Dragon [TAH] vs. Waitakere United [NZL]
The details:
7.30pm local time, Friday 12 April
Stade Pater
Papeete, Tahiti
The officials:
Referee: Isidore ASSIENE-AMBASSA [NCL]
Assistant referee 1: Philippe REVEL [TAH]
Assistant referee 2: Paul AHUPU [TAH]
4th official: Kader ZITOUNI [TAH]
The lowdown:
The results of the previous round mean this game has now assumed massive importance in the jostle for the semi-final placings in Group B. Debutants Dragon have taken quickly to life in the Pacific’s premier club competition and lie in second place behind Auckland after posting a draw and a win from their two matches. In contrast, Waitakere have just one point to show for their efforts so far and are in danger of seeing their title hopes go up in smoke – a prospect that seemed unthinkable at the start of the tournament – unless they can put some more points on the board quickly. The west Aucklanders’ 3-1 loss to fierce rivals Auckland City last weekend in a match they had a real need to take something from was a big blow and a win in Papeete is now a must. Worryingly for coach Paul Marshall, Waitakere have traditionally struggled on their travels in this competition and Tahiti was not a happy hunting ground for them last season, the New Zealand champions going down 3-0 to previous representatives Tefana on their visit to the French territory. A repeat result would be disastrous for Marshall and his men but it would be a huge boost to Dragon’s chances of progressing past the group stages. Ludovic Graugnard’s side was handed a tough opening to the campaign with a pair of away games but are yet to be defeated and confidence levels will be high after a 4-1 win over Mont-Dore in the francophone derby. Dragon’s success has been built on a solid defence, superbly led by Tahiti captain Nicolas Vallar, while they proved in the previous round that they also have no trouble finding the net. Waitakere will have to find a way to nullify that threat and create some chances at the other end or run the risk of an early exit from the race for the semi-finals.
The quote:
“There’s two teams that go through so it’s not over. We’ll have to win just about every match now I’d say to make that happen but this team is capable of doing it, there’s no question about that in my opinion. The Auckland game wasn’t our best day but we’ll analyse the tape and some people may have to take a good, long look at themselves. I’m sure they will and we’ll bounce back.” – Waitakere United coach Paul Marshall
The squads:
Dragon: 1. Mikael ROCHE [GK], 2. Alexis MAURI, 3. Sebastien GAIRIN, 4. Tamatoa WAGEMANN, 5. Henri CAROINE, 6. Kevin GAUDIN, 7. Efrain ARANEDA ESTAIN, 8. Yannick VERO, 9. Samuel HNANYINE, 10. Raimana LI FUNG KUEE, 11. Andre TEIKIHAKAUPOKO, 12. Jonathan TEHAU, 13. Steevy CHONG HUE, 14. Matatia PAAMA, 15. Heimano BOUREBARE, 16. Edson LEMAIRE, 17. Sylvain GRAGLIA, 18. Xavier SAMIN [GK], 19. Vincent SIMON, 20. Torea MARUOI, 21. Alessandro VALLAR, 22. Nicolas VALLAR, 23. Teaonui TEHAU, 24. Jonathan CABALE, 25. Heremana TEIKIPUPUNI
Coach: Ludovic GRAUGNARD [TAH]
Waitakere United: 1. Danny ROBINSON [GK], 2. Aaron SCOTT, 3. Jack BEGUELY, 4. Tim MYERS, 5. Brian SHELLEY, 6. Matt CUNNEEN, 7. Jeremy CHRISTIE, 8. Chad COOMBES, 9. Milos NIKOLIC, 10. Allan PEARCE, 11. Luiz DEL MONTE, 12. Roy KRISHNA, 13. Julyan COLLETT, 14. Daniel JONES, 15. Salesh KUMAR, 16. Tristan PRATTLEY, 17. Jake BUTLER, 18. Sam MATHEWS, 19. Daniel MORGAN, 20. Ryan DE VRIES, 21. Dylan STANSFIELD, 22. Richard GILLESPIE [GK], 23. Masaki NOMOTO, 24. Harshae RANIGA, 25. Bill ROBERTSON, 26. Billy COLTON, 27. Chris PALMER, 28. Alex CARR [GK], 29. Kyosuke KITANO, 30. Rory TURNER
Coach: Paul Marshall [NZL]
Amicale [VAN] vs. Solomon Warriors [SOL]
The details:
3pm local time, Saturday 13 April
Port Vila Stadium
Port Vila, Vanuatu
The officials:
Referee: Peter O’LEARY [NZL]
Assistant referee 1: Michael JOSEPH [VAN]
Assistant referee 2: Alick LUKAI [VAN]
4th official: Robinson BANGA [VAN]
The lowdown:
While Ba and Amicale have the inside running, Group A is still wide open as no side has been able to post a perfect record of a win from each of their two matches. The four clubs all therefore retain genuine hopes of making the semi-finals and a strong run by any of them would put that team in pole position. Amicale have as good a chance as any of being that side as their first two matches were away and they now face the welcome prospect of three successive games on home soil. The Reds needed to use every ounce of their fighting spirit to secure a point from their last outing against Hekari after Solomon Islands international Joses Nawo – who is now suspended for this match – was sent off in the first half, leaving his team mates to toil with ten men for the majority of the match. Being short of numbers meant the likes of Fenedy Masauvakalo and Pape Gueye, both on target in the win over Solomon Warriors on the opening day, did not receive a steady stream of service in the nil-all draw and will be keen to return to goalscoring form in front of their fanatical fans. Of the two sides, Warriors are in greater need of the three points after picking up just one from their two matches, both of which were at home. They are in the opposite position to Amicale in that three of their remaining four fixtures are on the road and, after failing to make the most of home advantage, coach Brendan Crichton will be hoping his charges have the ability to travel well. If they fail to do so, the semi-final hopes of the tournament newcomers will rapidly fade away and a loss on Saturday would be the first step onto that downhill slide. Like Amicale, Crichton’s side displayed plenty of determination last weekend in coming back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Ba so it appears as if neither side will be prepared to shy away from the challenge on Saturday.
The quote:
“I feel that we should have won against Ba because, like in the previous match, we were the better team on the day. Unfortunately, we did not put away all our chances but the most important thing was that we scored twice and this is what we will build on for our next matches. It is a small step but an important one for us.” – Solomon Warriors coach Brendan Crichton
The squads:
Amicale: 1. Chikau MANSALE [GK], 2. Samuel KALOROS, 3. Chanel OBED, 4. George VUTI, 5. Laitia TUILAU, 6. Samuela KAUTOGA, 7. Jean-Robert YALOU, 8. Johnny TIRAENG, 9. Jean NAPRAPOL, 10. Richard ANISUA, 11. Fenedy MASAUVAKALO, 13. Pape GUEYE, 15. Alphonse BONGNAIM, 16. Daniel NATOU, 17. Nelson Sale KILIFA, 18. Jack WETNEY, 19. Souleymane SARR, 20. Michael RUTHERFORD [GK], 21. Paul YOUNG, 22. Paul NGOM, 23. Roddy LENGA, 24. Kency TANGIS, 25. Joses NAWO, 26. Alick MAEMAE, 27. Moffat DEROMOA, 28. Aliou TRAORE, 29. Dominique FRED, 30. Francois SAKAMA, 32. Natou NANUA, 33. Joel NAKAPUE [GK]
Coach: Richard IWAI [VAN]
Solomon Warriors: 1. Eddie NEWMAN [GK], 2. Hadisi AENGARI, 3. Welshman HOUKARAWA, 4. Tome FAISI, 5. Dennis IFUNAOA, 6. Molea TIGI, 7. Brian FENI, 8. Molis GAGAME, 9. Karol KAKATE, 10. Judd MOLEA, 11. Kidston BILLY, 12. Jerry DONGA, 13. Moffat KILIFA, 14. Jeffery BULE, 15. Willy DAUDAU, 16. Emmanuel POILA, 17. Micah LEA’ALAFA, 18. Sam AYERS, 19. Gibson DAUDAU, 20. Casper AENGARI, 21. Brian KALTACK, 22. Bata FURAI, 23. Gagame FENI, 24. Silas SEDA [GK], 25. Chris TAFOA, 26. Loea TAISARA, 27. Nemani ROQARA, 29. Michael MOLEA, 30. Matson FENNY, 31. Alfred LOFANA [GK]
Coach: Brendan CRICHTON [NZL]
Ba [FIJ] vs. Hekari United [PNG]
The detail
s:
3pm local time, Saturday 13 April
Govind Park
Ba, Fiji
The officials:
Referee: Averii JACQUES [NCL]
Assistant referee 1: Rakesh CHANDRA [FIJ]
Assistant referee 2: Avinesh NARAYAN [FIJ]
4th official: Andrew ACHARI [FIJ]
The lowdown:
After recording a win and a draw from their two matches, the side from the football-mad Fijian town of Ba have laid a strong foundation to launch a title bid and, with three of their four remaining matches at home, are well placed to continue their undefeated run. Another win here would give them a great chance of progressing to the semi-finals but they will not find the going easy against a Hekari outfit looking to keep their own dreams of glory alive. The Papua New Guineans will be disappointed to have earned only one point from a start that generously presented them with a pair of home games and they missed a golden opportunity to earn their first win when facing an Amicale side reduced to ten men last Saturday. The 2010 champions could not make the most of their numerical advantage and had to settle for a scoreless stalemate when a win would have seen them snapping at the heels of Ba at the top of the Group A table. They may come to regret that failure to find the net if Ba and Amicale continue in their undefeated ways and are likely to come under pressure defensively this weekend against a side that are the group’s top scorers. Nigerian import Sanni Issa has been a revelation for Ba and no opponent has been able to stop him so far, with two goals coming in the first-up win over Hekari and another arriving several days later against Solomon Warriors. Hekari have mustered only one goal themselves and must become more of an attacking threat if they are to repeat their title-winning heroics of three years ago. They certainly have the personnel to find the net more regularly with Papua New Guinea internationals Kema Jack and Erikson Komeng in the squad alongside Fijian Maciu Dunadamu. Ba will be without targetman Osea Vakatalesau due to suspension.
The quote:
“We will try to fix the errors that were made in the earlier games and iron out the mistakes in the next few days. Sanni Issa has combined really well with the team and has adapted to the style of Ba, he has scored goals in every round so far.” – Ba manager Iliyaz KHAN
The squads:
Ba: 1. Ratu JONE [GK], 2. Avinesh SUWAMY, 3. Meli CODRO, 4. Jacob MORRISON, 5. Ronil KUMAR, 6. Jone VESIKULA, 7. Tuimasi MANUCA, 8. Aisea CODRO, 9. Abbu ZAHID, 10. Mavileko NAKAMA, 11. Josefata NEIBULI, 12. REMUERU, 13. Kini VILIAME, 14. Malakai LEVATIA, 16. Malakai TIWA, 17. Malakai KANAHEWE, 18. Laisenia RAURA, 19. Varun KUMAR, 20. Sanni ISSA, 21. Marika MADIGI, 22. Epeli CODRO [GK], 23. Fayah CAMARA, 24. Clarence CLARKE, 25. Jone SALAUNEUNE, 26. Scott GANNON, 27. Alvin SINGH
Coach: Yogendra DUTT [FIJ]
Hekari United: 1. Leslie KALAI [GK], 2. Daniel JOE, 3. Malon KALTANAK, 4. Kila POLENA, 5. Daniel TAYLOR, 6. Samuel KINI, 7. Raymond GUNEMBA, 8. Maciu DUNADAMU, 9. Nigel DABINYABA, 10. Wira WAMA, 11. Joachim WAROI, 12. David MUTA, 13. Andrew LEPANI, 15. Wilson GIASUAU, 16. Pita BOLATOGA, 17. Kema JACK, 18. Erikson KOMENG, 19. Koriak UPAIGA, 20. Godfrey BANIAU [GK], 21. Clifton AUMAE, 22. Gure GABINA [GK], 23. Ian YANUM, 25. Taniela WAQA, 27. Calvin BILL, 28. Billson BULLO, 29. Joey AMBROSE, 30. Tuti ZAMA
Coach: Jerry ALLEN [PNG]
Auckland City [NZL] vs. Mont-Dore [NCL]
The details:
3pm local time, Saturday 13 April
Kiwitea St
Auckland, New Zealand
The officials:
Referee: Norbert HAUATA [TAH]
Assistant referee 1: Mark RULE [NZL]
Assistant referee 2: Tevita MAKASINI [TGA]
4th official: Nick WALDRON [NZL]
The lowdown:
Reigning champions Auckland City have begun the defence of their title well and are the only side in the competition to have earned maximum points. Making that feat even more impressive is the fact that City are yet to play at home and one of those wins came away at Waitakere, a team tipped by many as the favourites to lift the trophy. Ramon Tribulietx’s side have performed well at both ends of the park so far, conceding just one goal and scoring five to join Ba’s as the league’s top scorers. Just two players – Spaniard Gustavo Souto and Englishman Adam Dickinson – have accounted for all of those strikes so the Mont-Dore defence will be in no doubt as to who they will most need to deprive of the ball. The New Caledonia representative has traditionally struggled in this competition and Mont-Dore have continued that trend in the new season, losing both of their two matches to become the only side without a point. Any hopes coach Stephane Drahusak had of emerging from the group now appear to have evaporated and motivating his players to keep up the fight may become an issue if the winless run continues. A visit to the home of the defending champions should bring about plenty of desire to put in a strong showing though and Drahusak will aim to finally put together a 90-minute performance after seeing consecutive solid first-half efforts – Mont-Dore were level with both Auckland and Dragon at half-time of their previous matches – go to waste with a drop in standards in the second period. Romain Painbeni is the only Mont-Dore player to have appeared on the scoresheet across the two matches and Drahusak also has problems at the other end as the side’s concession of six goals gives them the worst defensive record in the league.
The quote:
“It’s great to have two wins in our pocket but we have to keep going because Dragon is a very good team and we have to play Waitakere again as well. Mont-Dore defended well in the middle third when we played them in Noumea and they have a couple of very skillful players on the wings that can cause you trouble in one-on-one situations. We will have to play with high tempo in possession if we want to break them down.” – Auckland City coach Ramon Tribulietx
The squads:
Auckland City: 1. Jacob SPOONLEY [GK], 2. Simon ARMS, 3. Takuya IWATA, 4. Adam MCGEORGE, 5. Darren WHITE, 6. Matthew RIDENTON, 7. James PRITCHETT, 8. Chris BALE, 9. Manel EXPOSITO, 10. Gustavo SOUTO, 11. Daniel KOPRIVCIC, 12. Tamati WILLIAMS [GK], 13. Alex FENERIDIS, 14. Adam DICKINSON, 15. Ivan VICELICH, 16. Albert RIERA, 17. Pedro GARCIA, 18. Damian HIRST [GK], 19. Mario BILEN, 20. Emiliano TADE, 21. David BROWNE, 22. Andrew MILNE
Coach: Ramon TRIBULIETX [ESP]
Mont-Dore: 1. Yoran WAIMA [GK], 2. Dominique SAWA, 3. Dan VAKIE, 4. Joseph TCHACKO, 5. Loic BESSIERES, 6. Ludwig ZEOULA, 7. Jean-Pierre BOB, 8. Romain PAINBENI, 9. Jackyno MAOU, 10. Cedric DECOIRE, 11. Alphonse TOKOTOKO, 12. Jean-Marc HMALOKO, 13. Olivier DOKUNENGO, 14. Pascal KENON, 15. Mathieu HERVO, 16. Fabrice WACAPO, 17. Ben MALAKAI, 18. Lamo XEWE, 19. Louis WAIA, 20. Pierre WEINANE, 21. Jacques WAMYTAN, 22. Thomas SCHMIDT [GK], 23. David WADRA, 24. Raphael OIREMOIN, 30. Louis SAMEKE [GK]
Coach: Stephane DRAHUSAK [NCL]

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