The headline fixture on matchday three in the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite will see Al-Ain taking on Al-Hilal at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The hosts will enter this match down in 10th place in Group B with one point after two games, while the visitors are sitting atop the standings with a perfect record.
Match preview
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AFC Champions League defending champions Al-Ain are experiencing a tough start to the new season, currently in sixth place in the UAE Pro League and already trailing league leaders Sharjah by eight points.
In this competition, Al Zaeem played out a disappointing 1-1 draw against Al Sadd in their opening match before suffering a heavy 4-2 defeat at the hands of Al Gharafa at the start of this month.
Hernan Crespo's side then followed up that loss with a shock 2-1 home loss to Al Wahda ahead of the international break, marking the first time the side has lost consecutive matches since May.
However, the two-week break seems to have helped the team address some of their issues, as they returned from international duty with a commanding 4-0 win over Hatta last week, which booked their spot in the quarter-final of the President's Cup.
Despite their dip in form this season, Al-Ain have maintained a solid home record, winning four and drawing one of their six matches at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, with that loss to Al Wahda being the only smudge on their record.
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Meanwhile, this match will be seen as a chance for redemption for Al-Hilal, as it was this very opponent who brought an end to their Champions League campaign last season in the semi-finals.
The Blue Waves lost 4-2 at this venue in the first leg, and while they won the reverse fixture 2-1 a week later at the Kingdom Arena, it was not enough to overturn the deficit in the tie (5-4 aggregate).
Jorge Jesus's side arrive in the UAE in impeccable form, as they have won all 12 of their matches across all competitions this term, and already have a piece of silverware, having beaten rivals Al-Nassr in the Saudi Super Cup.
Al-Za'eem beat Al Rayyan 3-1 and smashed five without response against Al Shorta in the last two rounds, and are now one of only three sides, along with Gwangju and fellow PIF-owned Pro League side Al Ahli, who have won both previous matches in this competition.
After beating Al Fayha in their domestic league 3-0 at the weekend, Al-Hilal have now scored a whopping 33 goals already this season, and have only failed to net two or more in two of their 12 matches to date.
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Team News
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Kaku was forced to miss Al-Ain's President's Cup victory over Hatta last week, having only returned from international duty with Paraguay hours before kickoff, though he should return to the starting lineup this week.
Matias Segovia was handed a start in midfield last time out and the 21-year-old put in an excellent performance, scoring a stunning goal from the edge of the box, which he will be hoping was enough to keep him in the starting 11 this week.
For Al-Hilal, the major talking point in this match is the potential return of Brazilian superstar Neymar, who has spent the last year on the sidelines recovering from a cruciate ligament tear.
Aleksandar Mitrovic has been in sensational form for the Blue Waves this season, already on nine goals in just seven league appearances, along with a goal and an assist in two matches in this competition.
Yassine Bounou sustained an injury while on international duty with Morocco which forced him to sit out the weekend victory over Al Fayha. If he is unable to return in time for this match, Mohammed Al-Rubaie is likely to continue between the sticks for the visitors.
Al-Ain possible starting lineup:
Eisa, Al-Ahbabi, Cardoso, Autonne, Erik; Park, Traore; Sanabria, Palacios, Romero; Rahimi
Al-Hilal possible starting lineup:
Al-Rubaie, Cancelo, Koulibaly, Al Bulaihi, Lodi; neves, Milinkovic-Savic; Malcolm, Leonardo, Al-Dawsari; Mitrovic
We say: Al-Ain 2-3 Al-Hilal
While Al-Ain claimed a big win over this opponent at this venue in their last encounter, they have been a long way from their best form this term, and given Al-Hilal's record this season, we feel the Blue Waves will be able to exact their revenge in this one.
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Devesh Jaganath
