The first leg of the AFC Champions League final will take place in Riyadh on Saturday, with Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal looking to claim an advantage against Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds.
The two sides will then lock horns for the second leg in Saitama on May 6 to determine which side will be crowned as the champions of the 2022 competition.
Match preview
Al-Hilal are the most successful side in the history of this competition, having lifted the trophy on four occasions, including in the 2021 tournament, beating Pohang Steelers in the final.
The Saudi Arabian outfit will again be bidding to qualify for the Club World Cup, having competed in that competition earlier this year, overcoming Wydad Casablanca and Flamengo before suffering a 5-3 loss to Real Madrid in the final of the tournament on February 11.
Al-Hilal will enter this match off the back of successive wins, having beaten Al Nassr 2-0 in the league on April 18, before recording a 1-0 victory over Al Ittihad in the semi-finals of the King's Cup on Sunday.
Ramon Diaz's side are currently fourth in their domestic table, seven points behind leaders Al Ittihad, but they will not be back in league action until May 10, allowing them to fully focus on the two legs of this final.
The Blue Waves overcame Shabab Al-Ahli in the last-16 stage of this competition before beating Foolad and Al-Duhail in the latter stages of the tournament, thumping the Qatar side 7-0 in the semi-finals.
Urawa Red Diamonds, meanwhile, beat Johor Darul Ta'zim in the last-16 stage of the competition before thumping Pathum United 4-0 in the quarter-finals last August.
The Japanese outfit then faced Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the final four of the competition and triumphed 3-1 on penalties following a 2-2 draw with the South Korean side.
The Reds will be the underdogs heading into this two-legged final, but they have won the AFC Champions League on two previous occasions, triumphing in 2007 and 2017, while the team were present in the 2019 final.
Maciej Skorza's side will enter the match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Kawasaki Frontale in the league on Sunday, which left them in fourth spot in their domestic table.
Urawa Red Diamonds are nine games into their new league season and have picked up 17 points, which has left them just two points off leaders Vissel Kobe, while they are unbeaten since the end of February.
Team News
Al-Hilal head coach Diaz will need to assess the fitness of his players following the King's Cup semi-final, but the Saudi Arabian outfit have not reported any fresh concerns at this stage.
There will be some familiar faces in the home side's lineup, with Odion Ighalo set to lead the line; the 33-year-old has 20 goals in 28 appearances at club level during an impressive season.
Moussa Marega and Andre Carrillo should also feature in the Al-Hilal starting XI, but Luciano Vietto is likely to be among the substitutes for the first whistle.
As for Urawa Red Diamonds, a 4-2-3-1 formation is likely to see Shinzo Koroki operate in the final third, with the 36-year-old scoring twice during the current season.
Alexander Scholz will line up in the middle of the defence, while there will be a spot in the middle of midfield for Atsuki Ito.
Takahiro Sekine and Tomoaki Okubo are also set for starting roles in the first leg of the final, with head coach Skorza unlikely to spring any surprises when it comes to his team selection on Saturday.
Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:
Al Muaiouf; Abdulhamid, Hyun-Soo, Jahfali, Al Burayk; Carrillo, Cuellar, Al Faraj; Marega, Ighalo, Michael
Urawa Red Diamonds possible starting lineup:
Nishikawa; Akimoto, Scholz, Hoibraten, Ogiwara; Ito, Iwao; Okubo, Koizumi, Sekine; Koroki
We say: Al-Hilal 2-0 Urawa Red Diamonds
Al-Hilal are the big favourites to claim a first-leg advantage, and we are expecting the Saudi Arabian side to triumph on Saturday. Urawa Red Diamonds need to stay in the contest ahead of the second leg, but they could have a mountain to climb in the reverse fixture.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
body check tags ::
Previews by email
