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History will be in the making when two Asian club football powerhouses from opposite ends of the Continent lock horns in the first of a two-legged final this weekend to bring down the curtains on the AFC Champions League 2022.
The action kicks off in earnest on Saturday, April 29 at 8.30pm (local time), when defending champions Al Hilal SFC host Urawa Red Diamonds in what is the penultimate match of the 41st edition of Asia’s ultimate club stage.
The upcoming tussle marks the third grand finale featuring the two giants, a statistic made all the more eye-catching by the fact that out of the previous 37 finals that have taken place, these are the only two teams to have faced each other more than once – in 2017 and 2019.
While Al Hilal have established themselves as Asia’s most decorated club with successful AFC Champions League™ title runs in 2019 and 2021 alongside their Asian Club Championship trophies in 1991 and 2000, their Japanese opponents will not only be looking to add their third silverware to the trophy cabinet following victories in 2007 and 2017, but also make amends for their 2019 defeat to the same rivals.
The 56,453-capacity King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh – due to be upgraded to an 80,000-seater in time for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ – will host an AFC Champions League™ Final match for the sixth time to clock up the most for any venue, two more than the next nearest, Supachalasai National Stadium (four) in Bangkok, Thailand.
Al Hilal head coach Ramon Diaz has previous experience against Urawa, having been in charge during their 2017 Final loss and the Argentine has expressed confidence that there will be no repeat.
He can count on compatriot Luciano Vietto to pull the strings alongside Saudi maestro Salem Al Dawsari, while Nigerian forward Odion Ighalo is a veritable threat as he seeks to add to his tally of seven goals and overhaul Edmilson Junior of Al Duhail (eight) in the top scorers’ chart.
Al Hilal have lost just once in the competition – in the Group Stage to Al Rayyan – and scored 22 times, while conceding six. A successful title defence will make it the seventh triumph by a Saudi club and see them join Al Ittihad, Thai Farmers Bank, Pohang Steelers, and Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the list of clubs to have won back-to-back crowns.
For the visitors, it will be a welcome return to the AFC Champions League™ 2022 after eight months, having prevailed in their Semifinal against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in August last year to book their spot in the Final.
Having plundered a tournament-most of 31 goals so far, the Japanese outfit will aim to resume their free-scoring ways with a new man at the helm. Polish tactician Maciej Skorza will experience the grandest stage in Asian club football on his AFC Champions League™ debut, having replaced Ricardo Rodriguez at the start of Urawa’s 2023 campaign.
A handful of players key to their run to the Final, such as Yusuke Matsuo, Kasper Junker and Ataru Esaka have left, which means Skorza will turn to the likes of David Moberg Karlsson, Jose Kante and Bryan Linssen to step up. At the other end, Hiroki Sakai leads a backline that has conceded just four times and a similarly miserly showing will set Urawa up nicely for the second leg on May 6 at the Saitama Stadium.
With ultimate glory on the line at this last hurdle, the stage is set for a thrilling first leg of the AFC Champions League 2022 Final!
