AFC Champions League Final 2nd Leg - Preview: Urawa Red Diamonds v Al Hilal
Saitama: Asian heavyweights Urawa Red Diamonds and Al Hilal will battle it out to become kings of the continent when the second leg of the AFC Champions League final takes place at Saitama Stadium on Saturday.
The tie remains tantalisingly poised after Syrian Omar Khribin’s equaliser cancelled out Brazilian Rafael Silva’s opener at Riyadh’s King Fahd International Stadium in a 1-1 draw in the first leg last week as both sides aim to add another continental title to their illustrious history.
Urawa Red Diamonds
A home victory will see Urawa crowned champions almost exactly 10 years after their first and only success in the competition and, having won all six of their games at Saitama Stadium, Takafumi Hori’s side will go into the showpiece event in confident mode.
The J.League outfit got off to the perfect start in Riyadh when Silva scored after just eight minutes but, following relentless pressure both before and after Khribin’s leveller, had goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa to thank for a string of superb saves and will have been happy to return home with the draw.
Injury forced top scorer Silva off midway through the second half but the attacking midfielder is expected to be fit ahead of the second leg and will look to build on his eight goals in just 10 games, while four-goal striker Shinzo Koroki will hope to see more of the ball than he did in Riyadh.
Creative hub Yosuke Kashiwagi was also kept quiet in the first leg but will look to stamp his authority on the play in the reverse fixture and, with a scoreless draw also enough to see Urawa win on away goals, the returning Brazilian Mauricio Antonio will have a key role to play in the heart of the defence alongside club stalwart Yuki Abe.
Al Hilal
The 1-1 draw means Al Hilal remain the only unbeaten team on the continent although they will feel unfortunate not to have won the first leg after the tournament’s top scorer Khribin in particular squandered a number of excellent chances to ensure Ramon Diaz’s side travelled to Japan with a lead to defend.
The two-time Asian champions now must score at least once if they are to make up for the disappointment of losing the 2014 final to Western Sydney Wanderers and lift the AFC Champions League trophy for the first time, but they will be without Carlos Eduardo after the Brazilian hobbled off in the first half last week.
Nawaf Al Abed (pictured above) replaced Carlos Eduardo in the first half and produced a fine display after his recent layoff. Both he and Salem Al Dawsari will look to offer support to the more advanced Khribin, who will again pose the biggest threat to the home backline.
Many of the Syrian’s chances were created by the outstanding full-back Mohammed Al Burayk, who Urawa will not want to allow the same space down the right flank this time round, while Yasser Al Shahrani on the left side is another who bombs forward given the opportunity.
Ones To Watch: First Leg Stats
Urawa Red Diamonds v Al Hilal
Venue: Saitama Stadium, Saitama
Kick-off: November 25, 19:15 UTC+9
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com
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