Asian Champions League Matchups: 2022-23 Recap

Preliminary Rounds Kick Off in August

Urawa Red Diamonds Back to Defend Their Title

With a 2-1 aggregate win over Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds won the AFC Champions League back in May. Urawa won their third AFC Champions League title and will enter the 2023-24 edition in the play-off round. Prior to the play-off round, 10 teams will take part in the preliminary round. Let’s take a look at some of the Asian Champions League matchups and teams that have already qualified.

2022-23 Recap

Saudi Arabian powerhouses Al-Hilal took on Urawa Red Diamonds in the 2023 final, which was played over two legs. It was one of the best Asian Champions League matchups in recent memory. In Riyadh, Al-Hilal opened up the scoring in the first leg but Shinzo Koroki got a second half equalizer for Urawa Red Diamonds.

Urawa hosted the second leg and the scores stayed level through the first half. The decisive goal ended up being an Andre Carrillo own goal which gave Urawa Red Diamonds their third AFC Champions League title. While Urawa Red Diamonds finished in just ninth place in the J1 League in 2022, they made an excellent run in the AFC Champions League.

The semifinal was a close call for them as they only advanced on penalties vs. South Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Prior to the final, Al-Ahli had outscored their knockout stage opponents 11-1. Al-Duhail’s Edmilson was the tournament’s top scorer, with eight goals. Meanwhile, Urawa Red Diamonds’ Hiroki Sakai was voted the best player.

2023-24 Preliminary & Play-off Rounds

The Preliminary round Asian Champions League matchups will take place on August 15th and 16th. In the West region Shabab Al-Ahli face Al-Wehdat, Sharjah take on Bashundhara Kings, and AGMK clash with Al-Seeb.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong Rangers take on Vietnamese side Haiphong in the East Region. Fellow Hong Kong club Lee Man also play Bali United. The winners of today’s soccer games will advance to the play-off rounds.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr will play the winners of Shabab Al-Ahli and Al-Wehdat on August 22nd. Iranian club Tractor will meet the winners of Sharjah and Bashundhara Kings.

Qatari club Al-Arabi will go head-to-head with the winners AGMK and Al-Seeb. The last West region playoff matchup is Al-Wakrah vs. Navbahor.

In the East region, South Korean Incheon United will play the winners of BC Rangers and Haiphong. Defending champions Urawa Red Diamonds will face the winners of Lee Man and Bali United. There will also be two Chinese vs. Thai matchups as Zheijang go up against Port and Shanghai Port face off with BG Pathum United.

Group Stage Standouts

There will be plenty of talent in the AFC Champions League group stage. Al Hilal hold the Asian number one ranking in soccer. They just signed Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly and should be one of the top contenders to win the tournament. They’ve won two of the last four seasons and were runners-up in 2022-23

Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante’s Al-Ittihad are also one of the top teams in the group stage. Some other teams to look out for are Iranian side Persepolis, J1 League champions Yokohama Marinos and J1 League runners-up Kawasaki Frontale.

The South Korean trio of Ulsan Hyundai, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Pohang Steelers could all cause problems. Qatari side Al-Duhail are also ranked as one of the top-ten Asian clubs.

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