Considering the fact that the stadium in Toyota City was half-empty on Monday night, the noise levels generated by the two pockets of Urawa fans were fantastic. Rehearsed, coordinated, effervescent and loud, it was a non-stop display of support for their team.

That night in Toyota was an unfortunate one for Urawa fans, because the majority come from Tokyo and Yokohama, and it was an impossible commute for many given that the game was on a weeknight, and that Toyota is so far away. They were also playing Sepahan, which hardly made for an attractive trip to the middle of nowhere.

Tonight however is a different prospect. The grander, larger Nissan stadium in Yokohama is easily accessible from Tokyo and Saitama (where Urawa are from). The best part is that Urawa, being a sort of Manchester United of Japan (their fans aren't from where the team are), have their largest fanbase in Yokohama, so all things considered, we should be witnessing an absolutely packed stadium and roaring support for Urawa, right?

Well, no. It's not that simple.

The bone in the kebab in this case, is the Japanese people's love of all things glamorous, famous and superstarry. I witnessed it first-hand last year when Barcelona played here, and the stadium was a sea of blaugrana shirts, with a rumbling whisper of adoration/excitement for Ronaldinho that exploded into "Oohs" and "Aahs" every time he did anything - whether it was a trick, a shot, a tackle or even kicking someone, miscontrolling the ball, or falling flat on his arse. The teams didn't matter, the football didn't matter, only the stardom did.

This year, there's no Ronaldinho, but there's Kaka. There's no Deco, but there's Seedorf. There's Maldini, there's Nesta, there's Pirlo... the names just go on and on. If you're talking about fame, glamour and stardom, AC Milan have all of those in abundance.

And here lies the problem. Urawa being a very populist team, means that a lot of the fans that would be neutrals or occassionals tend to support them. However against Milan all of those neutrals will quite likely have their allegiances tested. Milan have also been staying in Yokohama for the past week, and the locals have regularly been watching them train and play, and they've also played in Yokohama and Tokyo several times before in the previous Intercontinental Cup, so they already have a fairly large following in the local area.

On a technical level, there is only a very slight chance that Urawa will be able to get a result against Milan. There is also the worry with Japanese teams and players, that they will sink into the over-respectful, gracious mode that they tend to go into when faced with superior, more exalted opposition. Holger Osieck has worked hard to give Urawa a really tenacious edge to their game, it would be a pity to see Keita Suzuki not trying to chop down Kaka, or being apologetic about doing so. The players will all be nervous, and they will need the fans to help them retain their edge.

So it is absolutely essential that Urawa go into this game with a 40-50,000 strong bunch of supporters, because otherwise the silence and casual support for Milan is going to create a very, very strange atmosphere for them, one in which they might just lose their way, and which would be very disappointing for the fans watching around the world, who would miss out on a chance to see just how great the REAL Japanese football fans are.

MikeTuckerman speaks to Zeljko Kalac for OleOle

AC Milan trained in Yokohama ahead of their upcoming clash with Urawa Reds, and after the session Milan goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac took time out to speak exclusively to OleOle.

MT: Welcome to Japan, Spider. What's the mood in the camp?

Zeljko Kalac: We're feeling confident. We're well prepared and we've obviously come here to win the tournament.

MT: Did you get a chance to see Urawa's game yesterday?

Zeljko Kalac: Yeah, we watched it last night.

MT: What's the feeling?

Zeljko Kalac: They're a good side, obviously. They've had a long season, and they'll be looking forward to this match. I think the whole of Japan will be looking forward to this match, so it will definitely be difficult.

MT: You've played a couple of Champions League games this year, how do you think this will compare?

Zeljko Kalac: Our goal is definitely to win this tournament - it's very high on the list of priorities, to follow up on the Super Cup win and win this, and then continue on in the Champions League and qualify for the Champions League next year by finishing in the first four. But this is definitely a goal for us.

MT: A win here will take you above Boca in terms of trophies won. Is that a motivation for the team?

Zeljko Kalac: Oh, I didn't know about that! I think the last time they played Boca, Boca won 1-0. So we might get a chance to hopefully repay them.

MT: For all the Aussies out there, any chance of making it to the A-League in future?

Zeljko Kalac: No, I don't think so. I've still got another year and a half left after this. That will take me through to 36 and then we'll see if I have maybe one more year after that, and I think that'll do me.

First off, congratulations to our two winners - manogil and MikeTuckerman. It was a hard-fought contest, and a very difficult one to decide, but these two came out on top at the end.

I'd also like to offer congratulations to the others on the shortlist - carlaprat, Fedro, genesio, Haroldotuna, lempira, Lizzy, LucasDL and Lucastro. You all did a fantastic job, and we hope you will continue to participate in our future contests.

It's amazing to have this community of such talented people from so many different countries - football, it seems, really does bring the world together!

We at OleOle are extremely proud of what you guys came up with, and I'd once again like to thank all the contestants for their contribution . Please stay tuned to this blog for all the coverage we bring back from the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup.

The match schedule is as follows:

07.12.07 - Sepahan (Iran) v Waitakere United (New Zealand) - Playoff

09.12.07 - Étoile du Sahel (Tunisia) v Pachuca (Mexico) - Quarterfinal 1
10.12.07 - Sepahan/Waitakere v Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) - Quarterfinal 2

12.12.07 - Winner of QF1 v Boca Juniors (Argentina) - Semifinal 1
13.12.07 - Winner of QF2 v AC Milan (Italy) - Semifinal 2

16.12.07 - Loser of SF1 v Loser of SF2 - Third Place Match
16.12.07 - Winner of SF1 v Winner of SF2 - Final