KUALA LUMPUR, 16 June 2005 — Defending champions Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia will face Chinese side Shandong Luneng in the AFC Champions League quarterfinals following the draw yesterday.
Having sat idle as seven teams qualified for the knockout phase of Asia’s premier club competition, Al-Ittihad join the fray with a difficult task against the surprise packages from China.
Shandong reached the last eight by winning Group F with a perfect record of six wins from six matches, including home and away victories over Japanese favorites Yokohama Marinos.
“Of course it is a tough draw as Shandong are a very strong team. They have a lot of players in the national team,” Al-Ittihad manager Hamad Al-Zamil said.
“But we have lots of time to prepare for them.”
The draw was designed to keep teams from the same country apart, resulting in another Saudi-China match-up with Al Ahli to face Chinese champions Shenzhen Jianlibao.
South Korea’s only representatives in the knockout stages, Busan I’Park, will play Bora Milutinovic’s Al Sadd, of Qatar, while 2003 champions Al Ain, of United Arab Emirates, will face Iran’s Pas.
The tournament has been dominated by West Asian clubs since its relaunch in 2003 but Shandong and Busan represent East Asia’s best chance of taking the trophy to the other side of the continent.
First-leg quarterfinal matches will be played on Sept. 14 with the return legs scheduled for Sept. 21.
Semifinal matches are due to take place on Sept. 28 and Oct.12 with the two-legged final scheduled for Oct. 26 and 31.
Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia) vs. Shenzhen Jianlibao (China); Shandong Luneng (China) vs. Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia); Busan I’Park (South Korea) vs. Al Sadd (Qatar) and Al Ain (UAE) vs. Pas (Iran).
