BEIRUT: The AFC Champions League Elite 2024-25 league stage draw in Kuala Lumpur on Friday puts three leading Saudi clubs in highly competitive home and away matches.
Roshn Saudi League clubs Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli will each play eight games, four home and four away, according to the recently revamped men’s continental club competition that will feature two leagues of 12 teams in West and East regions.
Pro League champions and Super Cup holders Al-Hilal play four home games against Iran’s Persepolis and Esteghlal, Iraq’s Al-Shorta and Al-Gharafa of Qatar. Their away matches will be against Qatar’s Al-Sadd and Al-Rayyan, and Al-Ain and Al-Wasl of the UAE.
Al-Nassr, meanwhile, play four away matches against Persepolis and Esteghlal of Iran, Iraq’s Al-Shorta and the Qatari club Al-Gharafa. They will host Emirati clubs Al-Ain and Al-Wasl, Qatar’s Al-Sadd and Al-Rayyan on their home pitch.
The third Saudi representative, Al-Ahli, host Iraq’s Al-Shorta, Qatar’s Al-Gharafa, and Persepolis and Esteghlal of Iran at home. They play four away matches against the UAE’s Al-Ain and Al-Wasl, and the two Qatari clubs, Al-Sadd and Al-Rayyan.
The West region pot includes reigning champions Al-Ain of the UAE, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli, Qatar’s Al-Sadd, Al-Gharafa and Al-Rayyan, Iranian clubs Persepolis and Esteghlal, Iraq’s Al-Shorta, Uzbek club Pakhtakor, and Al-Wasl of the UAE.
The East region pot includes Japan’s Vissel Kobe, Kawasaki Frontale and Yokohama F. Marinos, Korea’s Ulsan HD FC, FC Pohang Steelers and Gwangju FC, and Shanghai Port FC and Shanghai Shenhua FC of China, Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim FC, Australia’s Central Coast Mariners, Buriram United from Thailand, and the winner of preliminary stage tie between Chinese club Shandong Taishan FC and Bangkok United of Thailand.
Also on Friday, the draw for the AFC Champions League Two 2024-25 put Saudi Arabia’s Al-Taawoun FC in Group B with Iraq’s Air Force Club, Al-Khaldiya SC of Bahrain and Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr.
Four groups in the East and West respectively will contain the 32 teams competing for the ultimate prize of being the inaugural winners of this new competition.
The new season features three club championships for the Yellow Continent: the AFC Champions League Elite; the AFC Champions League Two; and the AFC Challenge Cup.
AFC Champions League Elite draw puts top Saudi clubs with competitive fixtures
https://arab.news/28drr
AFC Champions League Elite draw puts top Saudi clubs with competitive fixtures
- RSL clubs Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli will each play four home and four away
- AFC Champions League Two draw puts Al-Taawoun in Group B with Iraq’s Air Force Club, Al-Khaldiya SC of Bahrain and Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr
Premier League rings in New Year with goal drought as Man City lose ground in title race
- Second-placed City would have reduced Arsenal’s advantage to two points but instead were frustrated as their winning streak in all competitions was halted at eight
- Liverpool’s attack was also found wanting as they drew 0-0 at home to Leeds United while there were no goals at Brentford as they ground out a draw with Tottenham Hotspur
SUNDERLAND, England: The Premier League’s festive feast turned stale on Thursday as the New Year’s Day program served up three 0-0 draws, most significantly Manchester City’s stalemate at Sunderland which left them four points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
Second-placed City would have reduced Arsenal’s advantage to two points but instead were frustrated as their winning streak in all competitions was halted at eight.
Liverpool’s attack was also found wanting as they drew 0-0 at home to Leeds United while there were no goals at Brentford as they ground out a draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
The only goals of the day came at Selhurst Park where Fulham’s Tom Cairney scored a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw.
Sunderland have proved stubborn opposition on their return to the Premier League and have now drawn with City, Arsenal and third-placed Aston Villa at their Stadium of Light.
They are only the second promoted team to remain unbeaten in their first 10 home games in a Premier League campaign, after Ipswich Town in 1992-93, and were worth their point.
City did everything in their power to make the breakthrough but home goalkeeper Robin Roefs pulled off a series of saves while the closest the visitors came to scoring was Josko Gvardiol’s header which shaved the post in the second half.
“They are so physical. They’re so strong, so it’s not a surprise at that. We take the point,” City boss Pep Guardiola said. “Really pleased with the performances, especially in the second half. There’s still a long way (to go).”
One boost for City was the sight of Rodri back in action as a substitute for the injured Niko Gonzalez having recovered from a hamstring injury that had restricted him to a handful of minutes in the last three months.
Arsenal’s 4-1 thrashing of Villa on Tuesday put them on 45 points at the halfway stage of the season while Pep Guardiola’s City have 41 after just their second league draw of the season.
Next up for Arsenal is a trip to struggling Bournemouth on Saturday while City are at home a day later against Chelsea who parted ways with coach Enzo Maresca on Thursday.
Reigning champions Liverpool are 12 points behind Arsenal in fourth place as they produced a lacklustre display.
Their best chance fell to Hugo Ekitike but his miss rather summed up Liverpool’s day, somehow heading an inviting cross by Jeremie Frimpong away from goal when he seemed set to score.
It could have been worse for Arne Slot’s side too with Dominic Calvert-Lewin having an 81st-minute goal disallowed for offside after latching on to a pass by Noah Okafor.
“You would like to start off (2026) with a win,” Slot said. “But it was difficult. I don’t think we were able to play many times through their low block.
“Sometimes we didn’t have enough bodies in front of the goal and in other moments where we did create or we were close to a goal, we were a bit unfortunate.”
For Leeds it was another important point in their bid to stay clear of the relegation zone. They are in 16th place with 21 points, seven ahead of third-from-bottom West Ham United.
“It doesn’t come along that often that you get a clean sheet and a point at Anfield,” Leeds boss Daniel Farke said.
“We had to defend and suffer but we are newly promoted and came to the defending champions.”
Spurs manager Thomas Frank went back to his old club Brentford but it was a forgettable affair as Tottenham’s 137-game run in the Premier League without a goalless draw ended.
Their last one was also against Brentford in May 2022.
The draw left Tottenham in 12th place with 26 points while Brentford, who had the better chances, are ninth with 27.
Palace are now winless in six matches in all competitions as they were denied victory by a superb curling shot by Cairney.
Jean-Philippe Mateta had headed Palace into the lead but the hosts faded and Fulham would have snatched all three points had Dean Henderson not made a great save to deny Timothy Castagne and had Joachim Andersen not blazed a shot over.
“When the legs and the mind are not that fresh it’s a little bit difficult. It was a good point today,” Palace manager Oliver Glasner said. Palace are 10th with Fulham 11th, both on 27 points.
