Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Saitama: Tsuyoshi Otsuki will send his Urawa Red Diamonds team out to play the long game as the two-time champions take on Chinese Super League leaders Guangzhou Evergrande in the first leg of the clubs’ 2019 AFC Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
Having seen his side overturn a 2-1 first leg deficit in the second leg of their Round of 16 meeting with Ulsan Hyundai in Korea Republic in June, Otsuki is focusing on the aggregate result rather than the outcome of the game at Saitama Stadium 2002.
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Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Saitama: Cool-headed diligence will be the order of the day if Urawa Red Diamonds are to see off fellow two-time winners Guangzhou Evergrande in the semi-finals of the 2019 AFC Champions League, believes Urawa midfielder Kazuki Nagasawa.
The teams face off in the first leg of their last four encounter at Saitama Stadium 2002 on Wednesday, with the Japanese side hoping to cast aside a poor run of domestic form to take an advantage into the return meeting in China PR later this month.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Al Sadd SC and Al Hilal SFC expect a no-holds-barred contest when they face off in the first leg of the 2019 AFC Champions League semi-final at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Tuesday.
Describing Al Hilal as one of the strongest teams in the region, head coach Xavi said Al Sadd have prepared thoroughly for the challenge the Saudi Arabia club will pose.
Al Hilal counterpart Răzvan Lucescu said it will be a meeting between two teams of high quality.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The 2019 AFC Champions League semi-finals kick off on Tuesday with teams from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China PR and Japan set to go head-to-head in must-watch ties.
The two-legged fixtures will kick off on Tuesday and Wednesday with the return legs three weeks later. The two winning sides will progress to the final to be played on November 11 and 24.
We look at four players – one from each of the semi-finalists – who could be key for their respective teams' chances of victory.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The four remaining teams in the 2019 AFC Champions League will return to action in the coming days with the first legs of the semi-finals to be played on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Two-time winners Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan and China PR's Guangzhou Evergrande are aiming to lift the coveted trophy for an unprecedented third time, while 2011 winners Al Sadd from Qatar and Saudi heavweights Al Hilal will be looking to return Asian football's club crown to the West for the first time in eight years.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Al Sadd midfielder Nam Tae-hee is excited about the prospect of facing his close friend and Al Hilal defender Jang Hyun-soo in the 2019 AFC Champions League semi-final first leg on Tuesday.
Born just two months apart in 1991, Nam and Jang were international teammates in the Korea Republic side that finished runners-up in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia. But on Tuesday, they line up on opposite sides as Al Sadd SC and Al Hilal SFC battle for a place in the 2019 AFC Champions League final.
Having moved to Qatar in 2012 - joining Lekhwiya from French side Valenciennes - Nam swapped sides in the summer, joining Al Sadd to replace captain-turned-coach Xavi as the side’s main creative midfielder. In turn, Jang joined Al Hilal from FC Tokyo, replacing Australian defender Milos Degenek.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Saitama: Urawa Red Diamonds defender Tomoaki Makino believes that the 2019 AFC Champions League has seen the Saitama club raise their game to new heights, despite domestic woes, ahead of Wednesday's semi-final first leg against Guangzhou Evergrande.
Two-time Continental champions Urawa have endured an odd 2019 so far.
Torrid form in the J.League sees them hovering nervously close to the relegation zone, while they recently suffered a humiliating elimination in the Emperor's Cup against amateur side Honda FC.
Yet on the Continent, Urawa are echoing shades of their 2017-winning side. Progression from a tough Group G was followed by impressive wins over Ulsan Hyundai (Round of 16) and Shanghai SIPG (quarter-finals), both clubs that are flying high in their respective domestic leagues.