Khaberni - The eighth and final round of the group stage of the Asian Champions League for the elite decides the last 3 seats, amid competition among 5 clubs to be among the top eight qualifiers for the round of 16 of the continental competition.
The round starts on Monday and continues until Wednesday, featuring strong matchups, particularly in the West Asia group, as some clubs wait to decide their fate in the final rounds, between qualifying or bidding an early farewell to the competition.
Al Duhail of Qatar, in seventh place with 8 points, plays against Al Shorta of Iraq, who is in the penultimate eleventh place with just two points, and hopes to capitalize on its host's no-hope situation to secure a spot among the qualifiers and avoid any surprises from its rivals, especially since its compatriot Al Sadd, as well as Al Sharjah of the UAE, hold the same number of points (8), but trail in goal difference.
On the same day, Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, leading with 19 points and the only team without a loss, aims to quickly return to winning ways when it hosts Al Wahda of the UAE, noting that it drew with Shabab Al Ahli of the UAE in the previous round.
Al Wahda, in turn, seeks a positive result, noting that it has 14 points placing it fourth, tied on goal difference with the Saudi runner-up Al Ahli and Tractor of Iran in third place.
The title holder, Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia plays against Shabab Al Ahli of the UAE, a team that has theoretically secured qualification with 11 points in sixth place, but a three-point gap with the ninth-place team, not qualified to the next round, makes them seek a draw at least, to avoid any specific scenarios.
Al Sharjah of the UAE, in ninth place with 8 points, hosts Nasaf Qarshi of Uzbekistan, in a theoretically easy mission, where the team needs a big win, while waiting for one of its eight-point rivals to falter, noting that Nasaf only gained a single point from a draw in the previous round with Al Shorta of Iraq.
On Tuesday, Al Gharafa of Qatar, in the tenth place with 6 points, plays against Tractor of Iran, in third place with 14 points, and its chances of qualifying seem very difficult, needing something akin to a miracle, represented by the loss of two out of three teams holding 8 points, in addition to winning their match by at least a comfortable goal difference (+12), to qualify among the top eight.
Moreover, the most highlighted match will be on Tuesday as well, between Al Sadd of Qatar and its guest Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia, as Al Sadd, on the edge of the qualifiers' list in eighth place with 8 points, looks to secure its qualification against Al Ittihad, fifth with 12 points, and which swept Al Gharafa with seven goals in the last round, and the match between two of the previous continental champions will be largely decisive, especially for the Qatari team, needing a win to avoid any surprises.
In the East Asia group, the situation is similarly critical, as three clubs hold 8 points: Johor Darul Ta'zim of Malaysia, Jeonbuk of South Korea, and its compatriot Ulsan, but the latter remains outside the top eight qualifiers due to goal difference.
Johor plays a tough match at home against Vissel Kobe of Japan, the leader with 16 points, while Jeonbuk visits Melbourne of Australia, in fourth place with 13 points, whereas Ulsan faces a relatively easier match against Shanghai East Asia of China, at the bottom with 3 points, and which hasn't won any match.
