AFC Asian Champions League: Newcastle Jets FC vs Beijing GuoAn : Live Streaming

Australians Joel and Ryan Griffiths could go up against their brother Adam when Beijing Guoan host Newcastle Jets.
The AFC Champions League group stage kicks off on Tuesday with eight matches across the continent.

A further eight games will be played on Wednesday.

Striker Joel Griffiths made headline news when he moved from the Jets to Beijing on a one-year loan after both clubs had been drawn in Group E of the revamped 32-team competition, which offers US$1.5 million prize money for the champions.

Joel split with his twin brother Adam, who remains a defender at Newcastle, and joined elder brother Ryan, who recently moved to Beijing from Liaoning, where he was on loan from Rapid Bucharest.

"I'm sure Adam will be thinking this is a bit strange. However, on the pitch, we will be enemies,"

said Joel, 29, winner of the 2007/08 A-League's Golden Boot as Newcastle qualified for the AFC Champions League for the first time.

"It has been a while since Ryan and I have played together in a competitive match, but he has certainly helped me settle in here. It has been great so far."


Ryan also thinks going head to head with a sibling could prove awkward.

"It's a very strange situation. It's one thing to play with your brother, but playing against him is a different story,"

said Ryan, 31.

"I've spoken with Joel about it and at the end of the day you have to be professional about it. On the pitch, Adam will become just another player."


Beijing, third in last season's CSL, have impressed in a host of pre-season matches. Along with the two Griffiths brothers, the club have also signed Croatian midfielder Darko Matic from Tianjin Teda and Cameroonian defender William Paul Modibo from Portuguese club Gil Vicente.

Newcastle have recently concluded a poor domestic campaign, finishing bottom of the 2008/09 A-League. However, the Jets have also been active in the transfer market, signing defenders Angelo Costanzo, Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Ljubo Milicevic, and forwards Sasho Petrovski, Donny De Groot and Fabio Vignaroli.

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