New Caledonia's AS Magenta and Vanuatu's Port Vila stand between Auckland City and a place in the first Oceania Champions League soccer final in April.
The Oceania Football Confederation confirmed Auckland City's group A opponents yesterday. Marist FC, of the Solomon Islands, Ba, of Fiji, and Tahiti's Te Manava make
up group B.
A home and away series from January to March will determine the respective group winners to meet in April in a two-leg final to decide Oceania's representative to the Club World Cup in Japan.
Auckland have already qualified for this year' Club World Cup in December after winning the last Oceania club championship in May.
New coach Roger Wilkinson faces a delicate balancing act with the 2006-07 New Zealand Football Championship in full swing at the same time as the Club World Cup in December, and the group stages of the new Oceania Champions League in the new year.
Auckland cannot afford to relax domestically as the winners of this summer's championship will represent New Zealand in the 2008 Oceania Champions League.
Wilkinson admits Auckland's demanding 2006-07 schedule is going to be a challenge on and off the pitch.
"We're aware of our Champions League opposition now and the boys have experience at this level but it's different from a tournament which will present different types of problems," Wilkinson said.
"We've got to be very professional in the way we approach it."
- NZPA
