Adelaide United vs Gamba Osaka

On the surface, things look fairly bleak for Adelaide United going into the second leg of their AFC Champions League final clash at Hindmarsh Stadium on November 12. 

3-0 down from the first leg to Japanese outfit Gamba Osaka, missing key men Eugene Galekovic and Angelo Costanzo through suspension and with a 17-year-old goalkeeper in the form of Mark Birighitti between the posts. 

Still, if ever there was a chance for an Australian team to demonstrate the kind of "fighting spirit" they're always banging on about, it is now.

All tickets for this match were snapped up within hours of going on sale, so it will be a disappointment if anything less than a capacity crowd of 17,000 crams into Hindmarsh Stadium. With a vocal crowd behind them - hopefully former United skipper Ross Aloisi has managed to fire up the locals with another impassioned pre-match call to arms - United should at least be able to put Gamba under pressure, whether they can pull the three goals back or not.

Should United lose this game then both clubs will go through to the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan. That will likely herald another showdown between the two, provided United can overcome New Zealand side Waitakere United in a qualifying play-off, and the South Australians won't want to go into a one-off clash with Gamba on the back of another demoralising defeat.

The return of the hard-running Paul Reid from injury is a bonus for United in midfield. It's a cliché as old as the game itself, but if United can pull an early goal back then they can put Gamba under an inordinate amount of pressure. Gamba are not quite from the same stock as a team like Kashima Antlers - able to control possession in midfield and used to the pressure cooker of title showdowns.

The Osakans have choked before. How cool they are under pressure in Adelaide may go a long way to determining whether Gamba chokes again.