In the first round of the AFC Champions League quarter-finals, Aaan hosted Hilal. Both sides have done well in this year's Asian Champions League, but Hilal have clearly been elevated to the front of the line ahead of the first round of the top four, which has to do with their 34-game win over Ittihad in the Saudi Arabian Premier League, the longest winning streak in the history of soccer.
This Saudi team is familiar with great courage these days. Although Alexandre Mizouwick is recovering from an injury, they still have many players who can threaten to score goals. Former Barcelona player Magan is doing very well and Aidah Shari is also at the center of the team, so keep an eye on both of them.
Up front, I think Eshouli or Ehamdan will take the place of Aleksandar Mizunovic. Although they are not as skilled as the Serbian scorers, I believe they will get a lot of chances to score as Hilal has a great creativity and a pair of left and right gates to score from crosses as well.
Aaan's confidence has grown considerably after beating Kistan Slave Rang leaders Ainas in the previous round and he believes he is capable of knocking out another Saudi Arabian powerhouse, Hilal. However, it will be crucial for him to get a positive result at home.
Sofiane Rahimi will be Aaan's most important player. Not only has he scored eight goals for the time being, but he is tied for first place in this year's Asian Champions League with Alexandre Mizouwick. He is more creative. His tandem with Romero was a big reason why the team was able to beat Ainas in this battle, and the two of them will be hoping to excel once again in this battle.
However, Hilal's defensive performance was very solid. I expect a pair of midfielders in Milian Govic Savage and Rubin Neves to control the war situation, so Aaan may not create too many scoring chances. They need to capitalize on their only chance and turn it into a goal.
Overall, I think Hilal is much stronger than Aaan and Hilal is expected to win this battle.
