Kuala Lumpur: With two months to go till the 2017 AFC Champions League gets back underway with the quarter-finals, we take a look at the current state of the eight teams remaining in the competition.
While the teams in the West are enjoying a well-earned rest following the conclusion of their regular season and have begun bolstering their squads in the transfer window, it’s all hands to the pump in the East as their domestic championships continue in earnest.
Al Ain (UAE)
Ins: Tsukasa Shiotani (Sanfrecce Hiroshima, pictured)
Outs: Lee Myung-joo (FC Seoul)
Currently in their off season, Al Ain’s last competitive match was the 6-1 thrashing of Esteghlal in the Round of 16. After three years with the club, Korean midfielder Lee Myung-joo has returned to his homeland, but defensive midfielder Tsukasa Shiotani has arrived to fill the void.
The Emirati side will not be one of the UAE’s representatives at the 2018 AFC Champions League, only managing a fourth-place finish in the Arabian Gulf League which doesn’t begin again until mid-September.
Al Hilal (KSA)
Ins: Ali Al Bulaihi (Al Fateh, pictured), Mukhtar Fallatah (Al Wehda), Omar Khribin (Al Dhafra)
Outs: Abdulmajeed Al Ruwaili (Al Feiha)
Saudi Arabian champions Al Hilal have enjoyed more than three weeks’ break since seeing off Esteghlal Khouzestan in the last 16 at the end of May. They do, however, return to action ahead of their next AFC Champions League opponents Al Ain in the Arab Club Championship (ACC).
The Riyadh-based team will face Sudan’s Al Merrikh at the end of July in the ACC opener. Before that, the team will fly to Austria for a pre-season training camp ahead of the Saudi Professional League which kicks off on August 10.
Al Ahli (KSA)
Ins: Ahmed Al Zain (Al Taawoun, pictured)
Outs: None
The big news at Al Ahli so far is that head coach Christian Gross has departed to be replaced by former Ukraine international Sergei Rebrov. Under Gross, the Jeddah-based side claimed the Saudi Professional League championship last year, after an unbeaten 2014-2015 season.
In addition to acquiring Ahmed Al Zain, Greek international Giannis Fetfatzidis extended his deal at the club ahead of the 2017-18 league campaign, which begins just under two weeks before the quarter-final clash with Persepolis.
Persepolis (IRN)
Ins: Shoja Khalilzadeh (Sepahan), Godwin Mensha (pictured), Siamak Nemati (both Paykan)
Outs: None
After winning their first top-flight Iranian title since 2008, Iranian champions Persepolis then went on to defeat Lekhwiya to progress to the AFC Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2008.
The match with the Qatari side at the end of May was their last competitive fixture, although the defence of their title begins again on July 21. Persepolis have strengthened their line-up with defender Shoja Khalilzadeh, midfielder Siamak Nemati and forward Godwin Mensha all arriving ahead of the last eight clash with Al Ahli.
Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN)
Ins: None
Outs: None
Since Urawa’s stirring Round of 16 come-back against Korea Republic’s Jeju United at the end of May, the Japanese giants have suffered indifferent form. Back-to-back defeats at Kashiwa Reysol and then home to Jubilo Iwata have seen them drop to eighth in the J.League.
A visit from J3 League side Grulla Morioka for the Emperor’s Cup should have been an opportunity to restore some confidence, but a narrow 3-2 win was less comfortable than expected for the Saitama club. There is no significant summer break until the AFC Champions League quarter-final clash with Kawasaki Frontale on August 23, although there will be an upcoming friendly match against Bundesliga heavyweights Borussia Dortmund on July 15.
Kawasaki Frontale (JPN)
Ins: None
Outs: None
Kawasaki are just two points ahead of their last eight opponents Urawa in the J.League, but their recent form has been more consistent with the back-to-back wins over Thailand’s Muangthong United in the Round of 16 forming part of a sequence of eight wins in the last nine games.
More recently, Kawasaki defeated Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Tochigi Uva in the J.League and Emperor’s Cup respectively and currently lie sixth in the standings. Like Urawa, there is no major off-season during the summer for Kawasaki, although they will enjoy a two-week break from domestic fixtures between July 12 and July 29.
Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN)
Ins: None
Outs: None
When Guangzhou Evergrande lost to Kashima Antlers in the second leg of the AFC Champions League Round of 16 at the end of May, it was just the second time Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side had tasted defeat in 2017. The only other loss had come back in March against Shandong Luneng in the Chinese Super League. Since the Kashima tie – which Guangzhou won on the away goals regardless – it has been business as usual on the home front.
The southern China giants have chalked up three straight wins in domestic competitions, topping Yanbian Funde and Guizhou Zhicheng on the road before edging title challengers Hebei China Fortune 1-0 in the FA Cup. They remain top of the standings, four points ahead of AFC Champions League quarter-final opponents Shanghai SIPG.
Shanghai SIPG (CHN)
Ins: None
Outs: None
Shanghai SIPG have hit the headlines in each of their last two outings for vastly different reasons. An unseemly brawl that resulted in several bans for players from both sides marred a hard-fought 1-1 draw away at Guangzhou R&F, before the FA Cup tie against Suzhou Dongwu was settled by an extraordinary score of 15-14 in the penalty shoot-out.
Having eliminated fellow Chinese side Jiangsu FC in the AFC Champions League Round of 16 at the end of May, Shanghai must defeat countrymen again in the first-ever all-Chinese quarter-final tie when they face Guangzhou Evergrande with the first leg taking place on August 22. Before then, with no summer break scheduled, it will be an active calendar of Chinese Super League ties.
Photos: Al Ain FC, Al Hilal FC, Al Ahli Saudi FC, Persepolis FC & Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com