The AFC Champions League final is always a marquee fixture on the calendar, but it takes on a bit more meaning when Al Hilal and Urawa Red Diamonds are involved.
They may be separated by geography – some 9000km – language and culture, but one thing unites the clubs and their passionate legion of fans; their all-consuming desire to be Asian champion.
These two clubs have embraced the AFC Champions League in a way most others throughout the continent are yet to do.
The trophy, and more specifically the title that comes with it means something. Being Asia’s number one club goes to the very heart of both clubs.
“When we play Champions League we are totally different,” Al Hilal defender Jang Hyun-soo recently told The Asian Game Podcast.
“This club has a passion to win this competition. Everybody, even fans, when I walk in the city they are saying to me, “Jang, I want the Asia, I want the Asia,” so everybody knows we have to win this competition.”
Rumours are swirling about the prospect of Lionel Messi signing for Al Hilal in the upcoming off-season. In the build-up to this weekend’s decider a video was circulation on social media asking Al Hilal fans if they would concede the ACL title if it meant signing the Argentine superstar.
They all said no.
That status is everything, and it’s the same on the other side of the continent in Saitama, about an hour north of Tokyo.
“It has to do with the history and also the pride of the club,” Urawa defender Alexander Scholz told The Asian Game Podcast ahead of the first leg.
“Urawa has only won the J.League once, but has won the Champions League several times. So there’s a lot of history there.”
With that context in mind it’s perhaps no surprise that this is the third meeting between the two sides at this stage of the competition in the past five editions.
With the ledger at one win apiece, this final is being billed as the ultimate decider of Asian supremacy. Whoever wins will become the first team to win three AFC Champions League titles in the modern era since the competition was re-launched in the early 2000s.
Whatever happens, history will be made at Saitama Stadium.
Scholz continued: “We want to have the image of being the best club in Asia, and so does Al Hilal, (so) I think you couldn’t write up a better final than this one.
“It’s going to be all in for both teams and we’ll see who comes out the strongest.”
Where Things Stand
After a tight and tense contest in Riyadh last weekend, scores are locked at 1-1 heading into the second leg at Saitama Stadium this weekend.
Salem Al-Dawsari – more on him shortly – opened the scoring for the home side in the first quarter of an hour as Al Hilal, as is their want, jumped out of the blocks spurred on by a vociferous home crowd.
But veteran striker Shinzo Koroki profited from a slice of luck early in the second half to draw the visitors level and net a valuable away goal.
And yes, away goals do still count in the AFC Champions League, so Urawa returned to Japan with one safely in their pocket.
Avoiding defeat and returning with that valuable away goal means that most observers view it as advantage Urawa after the first leg.
Ominously, for Al Hilal, both times Urawa has won the AFC Champions League they have played the second leg at home, and both times they have come away from the first leg with a 1-1 draw.
Will lightning strike for a third time?
Key Concerns
Al Hilal coach Ramon Diaz faces a number of selection headaches ahead of kick off at 6pm local time on Saturday evening.
Salem Al-Dawsari, who scored the opener for Al Hilal in the first leg, picked up a red card late in the encounter and will miss, leaving a hole that isn’t easy to fill.
Peruvian Andre Carillo looms as his likely replacement, but that would force a further reshuffle given the AFC’s foreign player requirements that only allow for a maximum of three non-AFC foreign players.
With Odion Ighalo, Moussa Marega and Michael being selected for the first leg, as well as Korean centre back Jang Hyun-soo, the selection of Carillo would require one of Ighalo, Marega or Michael to be left out of the side.
The defending champions will also likely be without inspirational captain Salman Al-Faraj, with the veteran midfielder re-injuring his calf that saw him recently sidelined from domestic action.
Given their experience and leadership, both players will be difficult to replace, so whatever happens elsewhere we will see a different starting XI for Al Hilal compared to that which played at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh last week.
For the home side, they look to have a clean bill of health.
There may have been some concern over captain Hiroki Sakai, who was under an injury cloud before the first leg and was taken off late. But the former Marseille full-back looks to have shaken off any concerns and is expected to take his place at right back.
What They Said
Maciej Skorza – Urawa Red Diamonds coach
“Of course, in football, everything is possible, and when playing in the final, you have to be ready for any kind of scenario.
“If we achieve success, like how we did it in Riyadh, then a goalless draw will be enough. Our target is to win and give our best, no matter how hard it may be.
“Salem’s (Al Dawsari) red card and captain Salman Al Faraj’s injury won’t give us any significant advantage over Al Hilal. They have plenty of good players and I’m sure they will field a strong team. I expect a tougher game than in Riyadh.
“You can’t leave such a good team with too much space. It wasn’t our intention to play so defensively (in the first leg), it was because Al Hilal are such a good team and they didn’t let us play offensively.
“It was also our lack of experience playing in games like that. Al Hilal are playing more in games like this, they are more experienced and can stay calm.
“Now we have more experience we can play a little bit more open but the most important (thing) is the result. Our target is to win, it doesn’t matter how demanding it will be. Our target is to give our best.
“We have achieved not a bad result in Riyadh, but this week we have stayed humble and focused on our cooperation. We’ve stayed calm and are waiting for tomorrow’s game.”
Ramon Diaz – Al Hilal coach
“We were not expecting to be missing two key players in our team, but we have a full squad. All the players are ready. We prepared the full team, the full squad for this final. So, no matter who is going to replace them [Al Dawsari and Al Faraj], they are going to do well.
“We are ready. This is a very experienced team; they played in many, many situations like this. We are strongly looking forward to win this trophy.
“We know we are going to face a lot of fans here, but we are used to it.
“This team won the Champions League twice – this is the third time. This is our target: to get it a third time and to bring the trophy back home.
“We’re going to try to be concentrated, not to have any mistakes like the one that happened in Riyadh and caused the goal.
“Al Hilal is the biggest team in Asia. It has proved it in the last two Champions Leagues, been the champions two times in a row.
“We know that Urawa have a good defensive discipline, but they are not that good offensively. In the first game in Riyadh we didn’t demonstrate our real image, the reality of the team.
“But now we have worked on correcting some mistakes, we have prepared the team to perform under pressure and to put Urawa under pressure, to make use of the spaces and try to penetrate therm.
“Our main goal is going to be to score once – that will open the game for us. Now, it is all possible. We still have the possibility to win, and my team are going to go for it.”
Photo: Asian Football Confederation
