In the lead up to Adelaide United’s all important and historical Asian Champions League quarter final clash we catch up with Soccerphile’s J-League correspondent, Mike Tuckerman to get the low down on their opponents, Kashima Antlers.

Neil Zimmerman: How would you describe Kashima’s style of play? What are their strengths and weaknesses?

Mike Tuckerman: Kashima play possession football. They’re quite happy to patiently build up from the back and stroke the ball around in midfield. That said, they also possess a reliable goal-poacher in Marquinhos - who is arguably enjoying his best ever season in Japanese football.

Kashima’s main strength is a star-studded midfield. In the Mitsuo Ogasawara/Masashi Motoyama central midfield partnership they have a classic defensive/attacking midfielder combination. Takeshi Aoki will start on one flank, while on the other there is plenty of competition between Takuya Nozawa and Danilo - who won a FIFA Club World Cup with Sao Paulo, for a place in the starting eleven.

There’s a classic Japanese weakness in Kashima’s goalkeeping department. Hitoshi Sogahata is a reliable shot-stopper but is susceptible from set pieces and is prone to making rash decisions. Central defender Go Oiwa is now 36! Should coach Oswaldo de Oliveira decide not to risk his ageing legs then Koji Nakata will come in at the back, but he has looked off the pace since rejoining Kashima from FC Basel. And while young defender Atsuto Uchida is undoubtedly one of the best players in the country, Kashima tend to struggle when he is out of the team through injury.

NZ: Who are the key players that Adelaide United should be wary of?

MT: Mitsuo Ogasawara is the key player. He returned from a loan spell at Italian club Messina midway through last season and single-handedly guided Kashima to the J. League title. He’s just as important a player for Kashima as Yasuhito Endo is for Gamba Osaka. Despite being a defensive-minded midfielder, Ogasawara always scores crucial goals. He scored from long-range against bitter rivals Urawa in front of a full house at Kashima Stadium this year, and he converted a penalty on the final day of last season that sent Kashima on their way to lifting the title.

The other key player is Marquinhos, who to date has scored 15 goals in 19 league appearances this season. He’s a classic goal poacher who tends to finish things off, although this season he has also been more heavily involved in the team’s build-up play.

NZ: Will there be a significant travelling contigent from Tokyo?

MT: I doubt it… especially since Kashima is not in Tokyo! The Antlers actually have one of the oldest organised fan clubs in Japanese football - InFight - who have been travelling up and down the country in support of their team for years. Since the city of Kashima is located in the fairly isolated Ibaraki Prefecture, however, Kashima Stadium is generally only ever half full. So I imagine only a handful of the InFight diehards will be making the trip down to Adelaide. It is also worth remembering that in Japan it is almost impossible to get time off work (for any reason), so those that do travel will probably be making some heavy sacrifices.

NZ: How are Kashima faring in the J-League in the 2008 season?

MT: They’re in good shape to win it. Unbeknown to Australian fans - who were dazzled by Urawa Reds in the Champions League - Kashima are by far the most successful club side in Japan. They’ve won the J. League a record five times in 15 attempts, last year they did the double, in this year’s competition they’re the current leading goalscorers and with their network of contacts in Brazil, they’re capable of bringing in top quality reinforcements at the drop of a hat.

NZ: What do you think the result will be?

MT: I hate giving predictions because I’m usually wrong! I think it will be close. Adelaide United have nothing to lose, and I can’t imagine that Kashima will enjoy running out at Hindmarsh Stadium. I think there might be just the one or two goals in it, and while my heart says Adelaide, my head says Kashima.

Neil Zimmerman is the editor of the84thminute and also runs the Victory In Melbourne site. On most weekends Neil can be found at a football match, be it either A-League, Victorian Premier League or a match that he happens to come across whilst walking his dogs.

Photo credits: Woodenship on Flickr via the84thminute photo pool.