Sanfrecce Hiroshima hope to go where no J. League or Asian team has gone before — the Club World Cup final.
Not even their big-budgeted predecessors Urawa Reds (2007), Gamba Osaka (2008) and Kashiwa Reysol (2011) were able to reach the final, but Hiroshima believes it has every chance of making it to Nissan Stadium on Dec. 16 once it beats Egypt's Al-Ahly in Sunday's quarterfinal.
"Urawa, Gamba and Kashiwa all made it to the semifinals," Sanfrecce captain Hisato Sato said. "If we beat Al-Ahly, we give ourselves an opportunity to top what they achieved."