Abu Dhabi: Representing the UAE, hosts Al Jazira’s opportunity of setting up a date with the mighty Real Madrid can only happen if they win over Auckland City in the Fifa Club World Cup opener and then beat the yet-to-be-decided AFC Champions League winners in the quarter-finals.

The official draw held here on Monday also decided the quarter-final pairings featuring Mexico’s Pachuca and the CAF Champions League winners who will face the Copa Libertadores champions at the semis stage of the tournament which runs from December 6-16 at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City and Al Ain’s Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.

Although it is an uphill task, the tournament serves as a huge opportunity for Al Jazira, with plenty of local talent in their ranks. The Arabian Gulf League Champions so far have not made an authoritative start to their title defence but coach Henk Ten Cate is hoping that his side peaks in time for the December showpiece.

“This is the first time I’m participating in this tournament,” said the Dutchman on the sidelines of the official draw.

“I’m looking forward to it. It is very important to win the first game because then you play two extra games. I think that would be very nice for everybody in the club, especially for the supporters. All I can say is, focus on the first match, forget about the rest,”

Ten Cate was of the view that competing in the tournament itself was a great achievement for his club and was like a ‘cherry on the cake to be honest’.

“It’s the cherry on the cake to be honest. Winning the championship (AGL) is very nice but competing in a major tournament like this for a club like Al Jazira is, I think, the top achievement of all time,” said Ten Cate.

“Maybe we meet Madrid or whoever, I don’t think it is important at this stage. The most important thing is to qualify (for the quarters) and this is our biggest aim. It will be amazing if we are capable of winning the first round and going to the next stage. “Ten Cate revealed that he is yet to watch any matches of his first-round opponents Auckland City as his focus is to get things straight in the Arabian Gulf League where his side are currently lagging behind following back-to-back losses.

“I haven’t watched any of their games,” he said. “That game is on the December 6 so there is a long time and a lot can happen. I must be thinking they can play us right now because we are not in the best of shapes. I assure that we are going to be better in December.”

Present on Monday for the draw were event manager Jaime Yarza, former Colombian international Ivan Cordoba, Emirati star Abdul Rahim Jumaa, former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre and former Barcelona defender Eric Abidal.

Real Madrid are in line for back-to-back titles in the Club World Cup and Emilio Butragueo Santos, the institutional director of Real Madrid, was confident of his club achieving that milestone.

“Every game for us is very important,” he said. “The expectations are very high when we talk about Real Madrid. We have to win every match as this is a very important competition for us. We won the Champions League that is why we are here.

“It’s a challenge but we are confident. At the beginning of the last season everyone said no team has won the Champions League two consecutive years. We were able to do it and we come here to make history as well.”

Major General Mohammad Khalfan Al Rumaithi, president of the tournament’s Local Organising Committee, said, “We are honoured that the UAE once again is hosting this world-renowned tournament — eight years after hosting it in 2009 and 2010. This tournament will be an extraordinary celebration of professional football, international talent and best in class skill, showcasing the great facilities, hospitality and unique culture our nation offers as a world-class sporting destination.”