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Played
December 14, 2011 5:30 AM EST
Toyota Stadium — Toyota
Referee: N. Rizzoli
Attendance: 29173
December 14, 2011 5:30 AM EST
Toyota Stadium — Toyota
Referee: N. Rizzoli
Attendance: 29173
Club World Cup Semifinal Preview: Kashiwa Reysol - Santos
The Brazilians open their campaign on Wednesday against Nelsinho Baptista's J League champion, which has already battled through two matches to reach the last four.
By Daniel Edwards
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| PROBABLE LINEUPS |
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KASHIWA REYSOL
 Sugeno Mizuno, Kondo, Masushima, Hashimoto Leandro, Otani, Barada, Wagner Tanaka, Kudo |
SANTOS
 Rafael Danilo, Durval, Bruno Rodrigo, Edu Dracena Arouca, Elano, Ganso, Henrique, Neymar, Borges |
Kashiwa Reysol will be coming into the match high on adrenaline but low on rest after needing 120 minutes and penalty kicks to defeat CONCACAF champion Monterrey in the quarterfinals on Sunday night. Manager Nelsinho used just one substitute in the match and aside from goalkeeper Takanori Sugeno, none of the team's usual starters practiced on Monday. Star defender Hiroki Sakai was an injury concern after receiving a knock to his knee in the playoff match against Auckland City but played the full match against Monterrey and should be good to go on Wednesday.
The only change from Santos' habitual lineup sees Leo give his place up to Bruno Rodrigo. The 36-year-old loses out due to his struggles with fitness during the second half of the season, and Edu Dracena moves out to left back to accommodate Rodrigo in the first XI. Elsewhere Peixe stars Ganso, Neymar and Elano are all in peak condition, and Brasileirao top-scorer Borges also starts up front.
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DID YOU KNOW? |
- Santos has never appeared in the revamped Club World Cup, but won the tournament twice in its previous incarnation as the Intercontinental Cup, in 1962 and 1963.
The Brazilians won their place in Japan by lifting the 2011 Copa Libertadores, beating Penarol 2-1 thanks to goals from Danilo and Neymar.
- This competition will be the fifth the Peixe have featured in this year, after the Paulista Championship, Libertadores, Copa do Brasil and the Brasileirao. Neymar meanwhile will be competing in his seventh, after previously playing the Copa America and South American Under-20 Championship for Brazil.
- Kashiwa Reysol manager Nelsinho Baptista knows Wednesday's opponent well. The Brazilian lifted the 1978 Paulista title as a player with the club, and also had a short spell as coach in 2005.
- The team is the third Japanese side to qualify for the Club World Cup semifinals. Gamba Osaka and Urawa Reds also reached the penultimate stage in previous years. Both lost in the semifinals before winning their third place match.
- Reysol's presence in the last-four is remarkable, considering that just one year ago the club was in J League's second division. It marked its return to the top flight in 2011 with an instant title triumph, becoming the first team ever in Japan to experience back-to-back second and first tier successes.
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Kashiwa Reysol 0-2 Santos
- 18.85 %
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Kashiwa Reysol 1-3 Santos
- 16.33 %
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Kashiwa Reysol 1-2 Santos
- 13.21 %
| World Club Championship (Worl) | Dec 14, 2011 | Kashiwa Reysol 1 - Santos 3 |
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Kashiwa Reysol
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| May 30, 2012 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 3 - Kashiwa Reysol 2 | ACL |
| May 26, 2012 | Kashiwa Reysol 2 - Albirex Niigata 0 | JPN1 |
| May 19, 2012 | Cerezo Osaka 1 - Kashiwa Reysol 2 | JPN1 |
| May 15, 2012 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 0 - Kashiwa Reysol 2 | ACL |
| May 12, 2012 | Kawasaki Frontale 0 - Kashiwa Reysol 2 | JPN1 |
Santos
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| May 27, 2012 | Santos 0 - Sport Recife 0 | BRA1 |
| May 24, 2012 | Santos 1 - Velez Sarsfield 0 | CL |
| May 20, 2012 | Esporte Clube Bahia 0 - Santos 0 | BRA1 |
| May 17, 2012 | Velez Sarsfield 1 - Santos 0 | CL |
| May 10, 2012 | Santos 8 - Bolivar 0 | CL |
| 21 | Takanori Sugeno | Goalkeeper |
| 3 | Naoya Kondo | Defender |
| 4 | Hiroki Sakai | Defender |
| 5 | Tatsuya Masushima | Defender |
| 22 | Wataru Hashimoto | Defender |
| 7 | Hidekazu Otani | Midfielder |
| 10 | Leandro Domingues | Striker |
| 15 | Jorge Wagner | Midfielder |
| 28 | Ryoichi Kurisawa | Midfielder |
| 18 | Junya Tanaka | Striker |
| 19 | Masato Kudo | Striker |
| 1 | Kazushige Kirihata | Goalkeeper |
| 16 | Koji Inada | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Takanori Nakajima | Defender |
| 23 | Dong-Hyuk Park | Defender |
| 8 | Masakatsu Sawa | Midfielder |
| - | Akihiro Hyodo | Midfielder |
| 17 | Yong Hak An | Midfielder |
| 20 | Akimi Barada | Midfielder |
| 29 | Koki Mizuno | Midfielder |
| 30 | Ryosuke Yamanaka | Midfielder |
| 9 | Hideaki Kitajima | Striker |
| 11 | Ryohei Hayashi | Striker |
| 1 | Rafael | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Edu Dracena | Defender |
| - | Danilo | Defender |
| 6 | Durval | Defender |
| 14 | Bruno Rodrigo Fenelon Palomo | Defender |
| 5 | Arouca | Midfielder |
| 7 | Henrique | Midfielder |
| 8 | Elano | Midfielder |
| 10 | Ganso | Midfielder |
| 9 | Borges | Striker |
| 11 | Neymar Santos Júnior | Striker |
| 12 | Aranha | Goalkeeper |
| 23 | Vladimir | Goalkeeper |
| 3 | Leo | Defender |
| - | Bruno Aguiar | Defender |
| - | Vinícius | Defender |
| - | Pará | Defender |
| 15 | Anderson de Carvalho Santos | Midfielder |
| 17 | Felipe Anderson Pereira Gomes | Striker |
| 7 | Ibson | Midfielder |
| 19 | Alan Kardec | Striker |
| 87 | Diogo | Striker |
| 20 | Wason Libardo Renteria Cuesta | Striker |
Match News