AFC Champions League Elite Matchday 3: Al Hilal, Vissel Kobe Aim to Stay Perfect as Melbourne City Chase First Points
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Al Hilal looking to add to Al Sadd's early-season woes
The Kingdom Arena will burst into life on Tuesday night when Al Hilal play host to Qatari outfit Al Sadd. The Blue Waves lead Group B with six points and are the only team from the West Zone to have won both matches in this competition to date.
Simone Inzaghi’s side unexpectedly dropped points in two of their first four matches in the Saudi Pro League this season, but they have looked much better in recent weeks and enter this clash off the back of a thumping 5-0 victory over Al Ettifaq on Saturday evening.
In this competition, Al-Za’eem have beaten Al Duhail 2-1 and Nasaf Qarshi 3-2 to date and are massive favourites in their upcoming fixture. Don’t forget to check out our football predictions for our expert’s insights ahead of kickoff.
In contrast, Al Sadd have endured a difficult start to this season, currently down in seventh place in the Qatar Stars League standings after six matches. They are also still searching for their first win in this competition, following back-to-back draws over the first two matchdays.
Additionally, the visitors will also be without the services of a permanent head coach for this clash after the club opted to part ways with Felix Sanchez last week. Sergi Alegre will fill in on an interim basis until a suitable candidate is appointed.
Vissel Kobe head to Korea to face a stuttering Gangwon
Over in the East Zone of the AFC Champions League Elite, Vissel Kobe is the only team with a perfect record after the first two matchdays, and they will travel to Songam Sports Town to face off against Gangwon on Wednesday evening.
Ushi are in the midst of a heated title battle in the J1 League, currently in fourth place in the standings, five points behind league leaders Kashima Antlers with four games left to play in the 2025 season.
The Japanese outfit enjoyed a run of six matches unbeaten (W5 D1) in September, which included wins against Shanghai Port and Melbourne City in this competition, but they failed to win their last two league games either side of the international break.
Gangwon, on the other hand, kicked off their continental campaign with an impressive 2-1 victory over Shanghai Shenhua but failed to follow up on Matchday 2 when they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Chengdu Rongcheng.
The Bears are also not in the best form of late. After being held to a 2-2 draw by Daegu over the weekend, they are now winless in their last five matches in all competitions and have slipped to sixth place in the K1 League standings.
Struggling Melbourne City eye first win of season
Tuesday’s AFC Champions League Elite action kicks off at AAMI Park, where Melbourne City take on Thai Premier League champions Buriram United in a match that the Australian heavyweights have to win.
Hearts ended last season by winning the A-League Men Grand Final, beating cross-town rivals Melbourne Victory 1-0, but they have kicked off this season very poorly, winless after their first four matches across all competitions.
In this competition, the City Boys were beaten by Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Vissel Kobe in the first two rounds, and sit dead-last in the East Zone, having failed to score in either of those matches.
Meanwhile, Buriram United have made an excellent start to their domestic season, unbeaten after seven games and already two points clear at the top of the standings, with a game in hand on the teams below them.
The Thunder Castle won their first ACLElite match of the campaign, 2-1 against Johor DT, before conceding a 3-0 defeat against Seoul. They are the underdogs in this fixture, but did beat this opponent at AAMI Park 1-0 in the 2023-24 edition of this competition.
