JEDDAH, 8 March 2006 — Saudi sides Al-Hilal and Al-Shabab open campaign in the fourth edition of AFC Champions League tomorrow against separate opponents.
Hilal are away to Al-Ain of United Arab Emirates while Shabab host host Al-Saad of Qatar in Riyadh. There are 28 teams in the first round of Asian Foootball Confederation Champions League divided into seven groups of four teams each.
They will be vying for berths in the quarterfinals where Al-Ittihad, another Saudi team from Jeddah, have been seeded as defending champions.
Hilal are bracketed in Group C with Al-Ain of UAE, Al-Minaa of Iraq and Mashal of Uzbekistan. Hilal enter the match buoyed by a 2-1 victory over Al-Nasr in the Saudi league.
Shabab are in Group D with Al-Arabi of Kuwait, Al Quwa Al Jawiya of Iraq and Al-Saad of Qatar. The match will take place at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. Shabab, sitting on top of the Saudi league with 44 points, are expected to win the match.
The match is open free to the public as per the directive of Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, president of the Saudi Youth Welfare. Khaled Al-Baltan, president of Shabab club, thanked Prince sultan for his support.
Only one team will qualify from each group. Ittihad won the Champions League in 2004 and 2005. Al-Ain of UAE won the inaugural staging of the tournament in 2003.
