Asian Champions League: Defended Champions Al-Ahli Set for Firmino Reunion

Defending champion Al-Ahli will be confronted with a reunion with Roberto Firmino in the competition phase of the Asian Champions League elite after the Saudi Pro League side had been pulled to mature the new side of the former Liverpool Voorste of Al-Sadd of Qatar on Friday.

Firmino played an important role in the Jeddah-based outfit, which for the first time in May, when he inspired Al-Ahli to a 2-0 win over the Japanese Kawasaki Frontale in the final before he left the club in July.

The Brazilian has since become a member of the Qatar Stars League champions and the two clubs have been drawn to undergo each other in Doha during the eight-match League phase of the competition, which will start on 15 September.

The tournament will again accept the Swiss League format for the opening round after the introduction last season, with the 24 participants divided into 12 teams for both West and East Asia.

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The first eight finishers on each side of the Asian confederation will continue to the last 16, which will be played in March with the quarterfinals, the semi-final and final that will be held in Saudi Arabia from 17 to 25 April.

Al-Ahli will also be confronted with Shabab Al-Ahli, Sharjah FC and Al-Wahda, all from the United Arab Emirates, the Nasaf, Iraqi Outfit al-Shorta, as well as Al-Gharfa and Al-Duhail from Qatar.

Four times Asian champions al-Hilal, also from Saudi Arabia, will compete against Al-Sadd, Al-Shorta, Shabab al-Ahli, Nasaf, Al-Duhail, Al-Wahda, Sharjah FC and Al-Gharafa.

In the east, the Japanese champions Vissel Kobe De Zuid -Korean trio Ulsan HD, FC Seoul and Gangwon FC, Melbourne City from Australia, China’s Shanghai Port, Chengdu Rongcheng and Shanghai Shenhua plus Joor Darul Ta’zim from Malaysia.

Ulsan HD, winners of the Asian title in 2012 and 2020, plays Japanese Vissel Kobe, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Machida Zelvia, Shanghai Port, Shanghai Shenhua and Chengdu Rongcheng from China and Melbourne City and Thailand United.