In this evening's AFC Champions League matchup, Al Faha and Ainas are teams from the Saudi Arabian League, but their histories and current situations are very different. Ainas, with its strong financial backing and luxury squad, is a star-studded team, while Afaikha, although a small club, is currently at the bottom of the league.
I'm convinced that Crowe will come back from the break ready to score goals and win a lot of honors in the second half of the season. He'll be competing for top scorer in every game, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if he plays tonight, he's going to score.
Ainas are strong on the offensive end, with Teliska's performance particularly promising. In the AFC Champions League, he has scored six goals, tying him with FC Shandong's Kilisin for the top spot on the scorers' list. He is a threat with his aerial work and long range shots, which Efeha will have to guard against carefully.
However, limited by the foreigner quota, it is unlikely that Ainas will be able to play with all their starters. But stars such as Shadiovanni, Posovic and Odavio, as well as local player Garabi, can bring unlimited possibilities to the team. Garabi has the ability to get rid of opposing defenders with his excellent individual skills.
Facing tonight's challenge, Efeha is expected to adopt a defensive counter-attack strategy in an attempt to stop Ainas from scoring. Shakara, the team's top scorer, scored three goals in the group stage, while Shabiri is also expected to play a key role in the No. 10 position to tear through the opponent's defense.
