Seoul, April 6 (BUS): Over the past decade, famous players such as James Rodriguez, Odion Ighalo and Santo Cazorla have been expected to play in the AFC Champions League against Chinese clubs. But before kick-off on Thursday, most of the big names will be found in the western half of the continent.
After just one win in the West Asian Championship from 2005 to 2018, Saudi Al Hilal won two of the last three continental titles and is the favorite again, especially with clubs from China, who spent a lot in the previous decade, suffering financially, according to Associated Press reports.
“Al Hilal is a great club with a rich history of titles and is the Asian champion,” Ighalo, who arrived in Saudi Arabia in 2021 from Manchester United, said earlier this week. “There are great players here and this is a team that always wants to win at home and abroad.”
The Nigeria international plays alongside Moussa Mariga and Matthews Pereira, who signed last year from Portuguese club Porto and West Bromwich Albion from the English Premier League respectively, as well as several Saudi internationals.
The chances of Al Hilal, as well as his teammates in the Saudi Youth Professional League, Al Taawun and Al Faisaly, have improved, as all five groups are hosted in the western half this month in Saudi Arabia in order to reduce travel. in the ongoing epidemic.
Colombian Rodriguez joined Qatar’s Al Rayyan from the English club Everton last September, and despite the team’s suffering in the league, the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star has scored four goals and made seven goals in 12 games so far.
The Qatari challenge is expected to come from Al Sadd, the continent’s champions in 2011, led by former Arsenal striker Santi Cazorla as well as Al Duhail, who appointed former Argentine international Hernan Crespo as coach in March.
“The club has completed all procedures to sign the new coach, Hernan Crespo, who will start preparing the team for participation in the AFC Champions League,” the club said in a statement.
Iran’s chances of winning the tournament for the first time have been affected as the country’s two biggest clubs, Persepolis and Esteghlal, were expelled in January for failing to meet the criteria needed to participate in the tournament.
The Eastern Province of the Champions League – the tournament is divided into two geographical regions until the final – kicks off on April 15. Thailand will host three groups from East Asia, while Vietnam and Malaysia will host one each.
The Chinese teams are struggling financially as well as scheduling commitments which led to Changchun Yatai’s withdrawal and sending Guangzhou, Shanghai Port and Shandong weak teams.
This leaves South Korea and Japan as the best hopes from the East, with four representatives each. Ulsan Hyundai Horangi and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, who each won two titles, are expecting to partner Vissel Kobe, Kawasaki Frontale and Yokohama F Marinos to lead the Japanese challenge.
Sydney FC and Melbourne City face the difficult task of improving Australia’s poor record in a competition that has seen only one team advance past the group stage since 2016.