Days after losing 5-3 to Real Madrid in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal returns to its home continent to try and extend its recent dominance of the Asian Champions League in a second-round match against Shabab Al-Ahli of Dubai.
In 2019, Al-Hilal broke the eastern zone stranglehold of the tournament that had seen teams from Australia, China, South Korea and Japan winning every title but one from 2006 to 2018.
The Riyadh club repeated the win in 2021, to become champion of Asia for a record fourth time, reports AP.
This is still the 2022 edition as the eight teams from West Asia — the tournament is divided into two geographic zones until the final — finished the group stage last April.
The delay is due to the Champions League transitioning from its traditional March-to-November calendar to a European-style August-to-May schedule in the 2023-24 season..
Leonardo Jardim led Al-Hilal to its last Asian Champions League title in November 2021 but the Portuguese coach is now in charge of opponent Shabab Al-Ahli.
Source: Bahrain News Agency