The final of the AFC Champions League is delicately poised ahead of the second leg of the contest on Saturday, with Al-Hilal and Urawa Red Diamonds playing out a 1-1 draw in Riyadh last weekend.
The two sides will now lock horns in Saitama to determine which side will be crowned as the champions for the 2022 competition, with Al-Hilal bidding to land their fifth title.
Match preview
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Salem Al-Dawsari handed Al-Hilal a 13th-minute lead in the first leg of the final last weekend, but Shinzo Koroki came up with a vital leveller for Urawa in the 53rd minute, and the Japanese outfit will now be looking to finish the job in front of their own supporters on Saturday.
The Red Devils have won the AFC Champions League on two previous occasions, with their last success coming in 2017, while they were also present in the 2019 final, losing to Al-Hilal.
Maciej Skorza's side dispatched Johor Darul Ta'zim and BG Pathum United in the round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively to set up a semi-final against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, and they recorded a 3-1 penalty-shootout victory in the last-four affair after the two teams were level at 2-2.
The Reds are now unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions, and they are currently sixth in their domestic table, boasting 17 points from nine matches, but the Japanese side have two games in hand on four of the five teams currently above them in the division.
Urawa needed to pick up a positive first-leg result to stand a chance of triumphing on home soil, and they have now given themselves a serious opportunity against the holders of the trophy.
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Al-Hilal are the most successful team in the history of the AFC Champions League, winning the trophy on four occasions, including in 2021, beating Pohang Steelers 2-0 in the final, which was just a one-off match.
The Blue Waves beat Shabab Al-Ahli 3-1 in the round of 16 before recording a 1-0 victory over Foolad in the quarter-finals to set up a semi-final with Al-Duhail.
Al-Hilal proved to be far too strong for their last-four opponents, recording a 7-0 victory, but they were unable to build on their early advantage in the first leg of the final and now have a tough return match in Saitama to navigate in order to win the trophy once again.
Ramon Diaz's side will again be looking to qualify for the Club World Cup, famously making the final of the recent competition before suffering a 5-3 defeat to Real Madrid.
Al-Hilal will switch their focus back to domestic matters after this match, preparing to face Al Wehda in the King's Cup final on May 12 before taking on division leaders Al Ittihad in the league four days later.
Team News
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Uwara head coach Skorza will need to assess the fitness of his players following the first leg, but at this stage, no fresh injury concerns have been reported by the home team.
As a result, it would not be a surprise to see the same starting XI take to the field from the first leg, with a 4-2-3-1 formation including Koroki in the final third of the field.
Takahiro Sekine should operate off the left for the home side, while there should also be attacking roles for Yoshio Koizumi and Tomoaki Okubo.
As for Al-Hilal, Al Dawsari will be suspended for Saturday's contest due to the red card that he picked up in the latter stages of the first leg last weekend.
The 31-year-old's absence is likely to open the door for Abdullah Otayf to come into the starting side, but it might otherwise be the same team that featured from the first whistle last time out.
Odion Ighalo has scored 20 goals in 28 appearances this season, and the 33-year-old should again be joined by Michael and Moussa Marega in the final third of the field.
Urawa Red Diamonds possible starting lineup:
Nishikawa; Sakai, Scholz, Hoibraten, Akimoto; Ito, Iwao; Okubo, Koizumi, Sekine; Koroki
Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:
Al Muaiouf; Abdulhamid, Hyun-Soo, Al Bulayhi, Al Burayk; Kanno, Al Faraj, Otayf; Marega, Ighalo, Michael
We say: Urawa Red Diamonds 1-2 Al-Hilal
This is set to be a fascinating match, with Urawa performing impressively in the first leg of the final. It would not be a shock to see this contest go all the way to penalties, but we just have a feeling that Al-Hilal will be able to navigate their way to a victory in order to win the trophy for the fifth time.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
