Heated Gulf clashes colour first round of Asian Champions League

Ahmed Ibrahim
For Al-Shorfa.com
2009-12-12

Haidar Mohammed (R) of the UAE’s Al-Wahda fights for the ball with Aattef Jenniat of Syria's Al-Karamah during an AFC Champions League match in Abu Dhabi in May last year. (Reuters)

The first round of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League will feature big matches between Gulf teams.

In the West Asian qualifier play-off, Al-Karamah of Syria will face the UAE’s Al-Wahda. The winner will advance to play Churchill Brothers Club of India, with the victor of that match moving on to group play, the first round of the AFC tournament.

In the East Asian play-off, Singapore Armed Forces will take on Indonesia’s Sriwijaya, with the winner moving on to play either the Vietnamese Da Nang Club or Thailand’s Muang Thong in a match that will determine who qualifies for group play. Thirty-two teams split into eight groups of four will participate in the group round of the tournament. The top two teams from each group will advance to the second round, in which the eight first-place teams will each host a single elimination match against a team that finished second in its respective group.

The following is the draw for group play in the West Asian bracket:

Group A: Al-Ahly (Saudi Arabia), Al-Gharrafa (Qatar), Al-Jazeera (UAE), Esteghlal (Iran)

Group B: Zob Ahan (Iran), Al-Ittihad (Saudia Arabia), Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan), winner of the West Asian play-off

Group C: Al-Ain (UAE), Sepahan (Iran), Al-Shabab (Saudi Arabia), Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan)

Group D: Al-Sadd (Qatar), Al-Ahli (UAE), Mes Kerman (Iran), and Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

The following is the draw in the East Asian bracket:

Group E: Seongnam Ilhwa (South Korea), Melbourne Victory (Australia), Beijing Guoan (China), Kawasaki Frontale (Japan)

Group F: Kashima Antlers (Japan), Jeonbuk Motors (South Korea), Persipura Jayapura (Indonesia), Changchun Yatai (China)

Group G: Henan Jianye (China), Gamba Osaka (Japan), Suwon Bluewings (South Korea), winner of the East Asian play-off

Group H: Adelaide United (Australia), Shandong Luneng (China), Cup Winners (Japan), Pohang Steelers (South Korea)

Sources: Al-Dawri & Al-Kass Sports Channel

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