AFC Champions League Finals 1st Leg: Al Hilal v Urawa Red Diamonds preview
Riyadh: Former winners Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia and Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds will face off in the first leg of the AFC Champions League final at King Fahd International Stadium on Saturday.
Al Hilal will be looking to make up for the disappointment of finishing as runners-up in the 2014 continental competition, while Urawa are aiming to add to the title they won for the only time 10 years ago.
Al Hilal
Two-time Asian champions Al Hilal have reached the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League every year since 2009 although, somewhat surprisingly, their only previous appearance in the final was when they lost to Western Sydney Wanderers in 2014.
Unbeaten in the current campaign, the Riyadh club have improved the further into the competition they have advanced, emphatically disposing of 2016 runners-up Al Ain in the quarter-finals and then Iranian heavyweights Persepolis in the semi-finals.
Omar Khribin is the tournament’s joint leading scorer on nine goals, including five in the two semi-final games with Persepolis, and the Syrian striker will be looking to take his red-hot form into the continent’s most prestigious club fixture.
Another man for the big occasion is Brazilian Carlos Eduardo, who netted a treble against Al Ain in the last eight, while Uruguayan Nicolas Milesi offers steel in midfield and Saudi Arabia international Salem Al Dawsari adds pace and width down the right.
Urawa Red Diamonds
Continental champions in 2007, Urawa have failed to reach the latter stages of the competition since 2008, but have turned on the style in the current campaign by scoring a tournament-leading 28 goals on their march to a maiden AFC Champions League showdown with Saudi Arabian opposition.
Twice the Saitama side have looked to be heading for the exit door only to reverse first-leg deficits to Korea Republic’s Jeju United and compatriots Kawasaki Frontale in the last 16 and quarter-finals respectively to produce exhilarating comebacks, before disposing of Shanghai SIPG in the last four.
Rafael Silva is Urawa’s leading marksman and boasts a superlative shots-to-goals ratio, having scored seven times from just 11 shots, while four-goal Shinzo Koroki will likely be the focal point of the Japanese side’s attack.
Creative midfielder Yosuke Kashiwagi’s five assists is more than any other player on the pitch while captain Yuki Abe, a member of the victorious 2007 team, has recently stepped back into the centre of defence and helped keep Shanghai SIPG’s high-scoring frontline quiet in the semi-final.
Ones To Watch
Al Hilal v Urawa Red Diamonds
Venue: King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh
Kick-off: November 18, 19:15 UTC+3
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com
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