At 00:00 a.m. Beijing time on April 17, 2024, in the first leg of the AFC Champions League semifinals, the giant Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates will face the Saudi league champion Riyadh Crescent. Who's going to be dead in this game? I'm going to do a little bit of a quick breakdown of this game.
The current manager of Al Ain is Argentine legend Crespo. Al Ain currently sit third in the UAE Premier League, 12 points clear of Wasil at the top of the table, with little hope of winning the league title, and they lost to Al-Ittihad in the knockout rounds of the UAE Cup, with one win, two draws and one defeat in their last four games, and their form is sluggish. However, Al Ain has won in the 1/4 knockout round, another Saudi giant, Riyadh, and Al Ain has been crowned the champion of the AFC Champions League 9 times in history, and the background of the AFC Champions League is still quite deep.
In the Saudi league, Riyadh Crescent led the standings with 12 points, with an astonishing 25 wins and 2 draws unbeaten record. In the just-concluded Saudi Super Cup final, they defeated Jeddah United 4-1 to successfully reach the top, and won 34 consecutive victories in all competitions, scoring 100 goals and conceding only 15 goals, and the team's form can be called invincible. Although Brazilian star Neymar is out for the season due to injury, Riyadh Crescent also has players such as Mitrovic and Malcolm who have played in Europe's top five leagues, and they are also known as the favorites to win this year's AFC Champions League. Despite playing away, Riyadh Crescent will be hoping to extend their winning streak and qualify for this year's AFC Champions League final.
Al Ain and Riyadh Crescent have played each other 6 times in the AFC Champions League in history, with Riyadh Crescent having the upper hand with a record of 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss. Facing the Riyadh Crescent, which has a luxurious squad and is in invincible form, Al Ain may only have a share of the home team.