Armed with its rich history and the continental experience of its players, Al Ain will be making its 18th appearance in Asia when it hosts Qatar’s Al Sadd at 8:00 pm today at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, in the opening match of the two teams’ journey in the AFC Champions League for elite football in its modern format. Despite all the changes that have occurred in the tournament’s system, the constant is the “Al Ain” desire to retain the title it achieved last season for the second time in its history.
On paper, the “Boss’” mission does not seem easy, as it faces an experienced and difficult team, but the reality is different, especially with the players’ awareness of the importance of a successful start in the Asian journey, in addition to the character that Al Ain possesses when it comes to the continental competition, which was clear last season, when it ascended to the throne of the continent at a time when its local results were very fluctuating.
What may raise the most concerns is that Al Ain players lack the sensitivity of matches, and have not reached a full stage of technical readiness, as the last match that witnessed the participation of the main lineup dates back to the 30th of last month, noting that the Kalba match in the second leg of the League Cup was absent from nine of the main players, while in contrast, the Qatari team played four matches in the league championship, the last of which was last Friday, which it lost with a score of (1-3) at the hands of its guest Umm Salal.
Three historic matches brought together Al Ain and Al Sadd, the 2011 title holders, who are also appearing for the 18th time in their history in the competition. The “Boss” won the first match (2-0), the second ended in a draw (3-3), while the Qatari team won the third (4-0).
Today’s match will be the (134) match in Al Ain’s history of participation since the start of the tournament in 2003, which it is playing driven by the same passion to embrace the Asian title for the third time in its history after the 2003 and 2024 versions, while its numbers seem balanced in its history of participation in the tournament, as it won 57 matches, compared to 36 draws, and 40 defeats.
Eye numbers “Asian”
Played: 133 matches
Won: 57 times
Draw: 36 times
Lost: 40 times
Record: 211 goals
Received: 178 goals
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