Gwangju FC will face the Yokohama Marinos in the first Group E match of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) group league in the 2024-25 season at 7 p.m. on the 17th at Gwangju World Cup Stadium.

It is the first ACLE stage in the club's history. Gwangju led the team under coach Lee Jung-hyo last season. By ranking third after Ulsan and Pohang in the league, the team earned a berth to the ACLE Playoffs, and automatically qualified for the finals as Australia's Central Coast Mariners went straight to the finals. Gwangju will play in Asia for the first time in the club's history since its foundation.

The team is somewhat struggling this season compared to the previous one. It is ranked seventh with 13 wins, one draw and 16 losses (40 points) in 30 matches of the league. With three more games to go until the final A and B decisions, the gap with sixth-ranked Pohang Steelers is four points. If the team scores three points in all three remaining matches, advancing to the Final A for the second consecutive year is not a pipe dream.

The first team that faced Gwangju in a fierce league match was Yokohama of Japan. Yokohama ranked second in the J-League last season to qualify for the ACLE. It also advanced to the final round in the 2023-24 Asian Champions League, beating powerhouses such as Bangkok United, Shandong Taishan, and Ulsan Hyundai. It met Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates in the final and secured victory in the first round at home, but suffered a crushing defeat of 1-5 in the second round.

Yokohama has some names that are familiar to Korean fans. There is Miyichi Ryo who played for FC Seoul in the 2018 season with Andersson López and Arsenal and played for Choi Kyung-rok and Jangkt Pauli.

Amano is also well-known among Korean fans. Amano came to Ulsan Hyundai through a loan for the 2022 season, and he showed outstanding performance during the entire season and was well-loved by Ulsan fans. In response, Ulsan considered recruiting Amano entirely. However, no agreement was reached and Amano left for Jeonbuk in the 2023 season. His performance in Jeonbuk was somewhat disappointing. Since then, he returned to his team Yokohama ahead of the 2024 season, and has scored seven goals and four assists in 28 matches including the Cup. 안전놀이터

Ahead of the showdown, the roster was announced. Based on the 4-4-2 formation, Gwangju will have Lee Kun-hee, Choi Kyung-rok, Oh afternoon star, Jung Ho-yeon, Park Tae-joon, Asani, Lee Min-ki, Kim Kyung-jae, Byun Jun-su, Cho Sung-kwon, and Kim Kyung-min. The roster was filled by Teracado Riku, Kato Ren, Kamijima Takumi, Watanabe Taiki, Kato Hijiri, Watanabe, Riku, Yamane, Jun Amano, Mizunuma Kota, Uenaka Asahi, and Eubert.