Takahara fans out in force as Boca Juniors make their bow
Wednesday, 12 December 07, 03:05 AM · Comments(0)
Yeah, yeah he may have only played six games on loan (scoring once) but Naohiro Takahara's short spell at Argentine giants Boca Juniors ensures that the fans will be out in force at the National Stadium in Tokyo tonight.
Thousands of Boca-jersey-wearing Japanese fans are making their way in to Kokuritsu, with locals keen to check out the famed Buenos Aires club for whom the former Jubilo Iwata and current Eintracht Frankfurt striker once played.
Boca are expected to hand Tunisian side Etoile du Sahel a footballing lesson in the Japanese capital, but as Etoile demonstrated in beating Mexican side Pachuca in their opening game, there are no certainties at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Nevertheless with the likes of Sebastian Battaglia, Hugo Ibarra, Rodrigo Palacio and Martin Palermo to call upon, Boca will be tough to beat, particularly given the importance with which they have treated inter-continental tournaments in the past.
One player missing from the Boca midfield is playmaker Juan Roman Riquleme, whose transfer from Spanish side Villarreal was finalised after the official squads for the Club World Cup had been named.
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Follow the adventures of me, SM, and the two Tokyo Blogging contest winners, manogil and MikeTuckerman, as we take on Japan and cover the FIFA Club World Cup 2007. News, Reviews, Photos and hopefully a few interviews!
