AFC preview: Jiangsu, Guangzhou, Shanghai's continental campaigns

Andre Villas-Boas, coach of Shanghai SIPG Football Club, attends the 2017 SIPG Football Club's season mobilization of the Chinese Super League, in Shanghai, China on Feb 13, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

One need only glance at the acrimonious speculation launched at Gus Poyet in the immediate aftermath of Shanghai Shenhua's failure to reach the AFC group stages to understand how the Chinese Super League's (CSL) hyperbolic spending has recalibrated the expectations of Chinese footballing fandom and media.

Boasting rosters and a level of economic firepower unmatched throughout East Asia, Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao, Shanghai SIPG, and Jiangsu Suning enter this year's competition as the spunky, arrogantly coiffed representatives of the CSL. Pressure and international attention has never been higher.

Rest assured, there'll be little sympathy should they unravel like poorly parceled dumplings and anything other than reaching the knockout rounds will be scolded as an inexcusable failure. Asia's premier club competition kicks off on Feb 21 with the final group games set to be played on May 9 and 10.

Shanghai SIPG (Group F)

New manager André Villas-Boas made the bold, and conceivably regrettable, preseason claim that the club president will sleep with at least one trophy in his bed by the season's end. The side performed with fluidity in their 3-0 dismantling of Thailand's Sukhothai, but will encounter sterner resistance against FC Seoul, Urawa Red Diamonds, and Western Sydney Wanderers.

The likes of Oscar, Wu Lei, and Carvalho will look to guide the relatively inexperienced side through its first AFC outing side. Additionally, though the capture of Odil Ahmedov passed without the fervor of Oscar, the Uzbek's fine range of passing will likely prove invaluable against stubborn opposition.

Shanghai travel to FC Seoul in their first game and given the Korean side's dominant 2016, winning the K-League and losing the AFC semifinal to eventual champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the contest could potentially set the tone and capabilities of Villas-Boas' side in continental football. Urawa Red Diamonds boast experience and attacking firepower at this level, though their defensive frailty will likely be targeted.

Managed by former Crystal Palace stalwart Tony Popovic, the Australian side is in the midst of the 2016-17 A-League season and is yet to find the consistency of the previous campaign. The grueling trip to southeastern Australia is scheduled as Shanghai's last group game, a real blessing provided Hulk and company have already guaranteed progress.

Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao (Group G)

China's beastly tour de force requires little introduction. With the CSL trophy seemingly super glued in the cabinet, Guangzhou views the AFC Champions League as the stage to claim footballing legitimacy and develop its global brand. Victory is the pathway to a FIFA Club World Cup spot and the glorious opportunity of facing Europe's finest.

Despite lifting the trophy in 2013 and 2015, last year's bumbling performance nearly cost Luiz Felipe Scolari his job. The club chairman, Xu Jiayin, calling for a clean sweep of competitions should be interpreted as expectation rather than aspiration. The publically stated squad bonus of 3 million yuan ($436,000) per victory is a garish manner of spelling out the bleatingly obvious.

The fixture selector has dealt a kind hand to Guangzhou and the stage seems set for Jackson Martínez to establish some early season form. While Hong Kong debutants Eastern is something of an unknown quantity, Chan Yuenting's side is certainly preferable to a potential trip Down Under. Likewise, Guangzhou might feel Kawasaki Frontale is the pick of the qualified Japanese teams, especially having lost the highly influential forward Yoshito Okubo in the offseason.

Suwon Samsung Bluewings enjoyed a lukewarm 2016 and only qualified for the competition through a win in their domestic cup. However,having been eliminated in 2016 through the impenetrable complexities of the tiebreaker rule system, the Korean outfit might be playing for retribution. Although Guangzhou's 2016 exploits proved there are no guarantees on this stage, they certainly couldn't have wished for a kinder group.

Jiangsu Suning (Group H)

While the CSL transfer window witnessed a dizzying flurry of activity, the Nanjing-based side has spent the offseason introvertly honing its capable squad under the focus of manager Choi Yong-soo. Jiangsu's consistency in 2016 surprised many, but throwing away a knockout place in the last 20 minutes of group action against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors reeked of immaturity.

The pace and movement of the South American trio Ramires, Alex Teixeira, and Roger Martínez is sure to unsettle any defense like a strong whiff of stinky tofu- though Trent Sainsbury's collected defensive performances will surely be missed following his loan to Inter Milan.

Choi Yong-soo has cited Jeju United F.C. as the toughest side in the group, however he may be playing mind games given the Korean side's six year absence from AFC action and a goal scoring threat that is somewhat reliant on newbie Frederic Mendy.

Adelaide United returned to the AFC for the first time since 2012 last season and made an impressive surge to the quarterfinals. Marshaled by legendary goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic, the AFC will hopefully prove a welcome distraction from a disastrous A-League campaign that finds the club bottom of the league. Gamba Osaka are arguably the veterans of the group having competed in five of the past seven competitions, led by the ageless midfielder Endo Yasuhito the Japanese side will undoubtedly offer intelligent and organized resistance.