David Flower
Dailysports's expert
Al-Hilal
Gwangju FC
One of the AFC Champions League quarter-final clashes will take place on Friday at the stadium in Jeddah, where the local Al-Hilal will host Gwangju. I'm offering a bet on the outcome of this encounter with a good odds.
Match preview
Al-Hilal, a powerhouse of Saudi football, storms into the AFC Champions League quarter-final duel, representing one of the three clubs from the country that reached this stage. This match comes at a crucial time: the domestic league has not been pleasing the fans. With six rounds to go in the Saudi Pro League, the team trails the leader, Al-Ittihad, by six points, and their title race has noticeably stalled.
The recent results only confirm the crisis: a 2-2 draw with Al-Shabab on Monday extended their winless streak to three matches, and in the last four rounds, Jesus's charges have secured just one victory. Now, for the club from Riyadh, the continental front is not just a chance to salvage the season, but an opportunity to reassert themselves as a formidable force in Asian football.
Gwangju finished the group stage with 14 points from seven rounds, confidently securing a playoff spot from fourth place. Yes, this is eight points less than Al-Hilal, who dominated the West, finishing at the top of their group without a single defeat. But judging by the current form, the South Koreans are clearly in motion and approach the upcoming meeting with a fair dose of confidence.
Lee Jong-hyun's charges have found their rhythm: two consecutive home victories and just one defeat in the last six matches showcase their fighting stability. But away from home, the "yellow-blacks" clearly lack courage: just one win in ten away matches speaks for itself. As for continental voyages, the last three away trips in the Champions League ended without a single triumph — they lost twice and drew once.
Probable lineups
- Al-Hilal: Bono — Cancelo, Koulibaly, Al-Bulayhi, Al-Ghannam — Neves, Milinkovic-Savic — Al-Dawsari, Malcom, Al-Qahtani — Leonardo
- Gwangju: Kim; Kim, An, Byeon, Doo; An, Park, Moon, Jeong; Jeong, Lee
Match facts and head-to-head
- The teams have not played against each other in international tournaments before
- The "Over 2.5 goals" bet has won in two out of five matches for Gwangju
- The "Both teams to score" bet has won in three out of five matches involving Al-Hilal
Prediction
Bookmakers are fully siding with the hosts and offer a modest odds of 1.25 for Al-Hilal's victory. Our bet for the match is "Under 3.5 goals" at odds of 1.85.
