Are you ready for the match between arch-rivals: "Pakhtakor" - "Al Hilal"?

Due to the holy month of Ramadan, the start time of the match has been set at 21:00 for the convenience of the fans.

"Pakhtakor" raised hope

On February 17, "Pakhtakor" defeated "Al Sadd" at this stadium. Based on the results of previous matches, there was an opinion that we were not yet ready for the Elite. The victory of "Pakhtakor" and the fact that with this victory we entered the top eight, raised sparks of hope. No, our football has not stopped yet. We can also play football. We also have our say in Asia. For more than 20 years, we have been trying to do something in the Asian Champions League.

It so happened that in the Western Region Elite AFC Champions League, in which 12 teams participated, all teams played 8 games, and 8 of them advanced to the next stage. Pakhtakor joined the chain by finishing 8th. Look at this, Al Gharafa, which won two games, got off the train. Persepolis, Al Shorta, and Al Ain also failed to make it to the top eight. In particular, the current AFC champion Al Ain showed a very empty game: two draws and 6 losses. The same 7-point result was achieved in all three clubs, and Pakhtakor was slightly better on goal difference.

Teams that have advanced to the next round:
1. Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
2. Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia)
3. Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia)
4. Al Sadd (Qatar)
5. Al Wasl (UAE)
6. Istiqlol (Iran)
7. Al Rayyan (Qatar)
8. Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan)

For information: The first legs of the 1/8 finals will be held on March 3-4, and the return legs on March 10-11. The pairings are as follows:

March 3. Istiqlol - Al Nassr (return leg March 10)
March 3. Al Wasl - Al Sadd (return leg March 10)

March 4. "Pakhtakor" - "Al Hilal" (second leg March 11)
March 4. "Al Rayyan" - "Al Ahli" (second leg March 11)

After these matches, starting with the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final will be held in a centralized manner only in Saudi Arabia. Because the AFC has made such a decision. That is why the quarter-finals and subsequent matches are called the AFC Elite Final Stage.

Thus, on March 4, "Pakhtakor" will play against the strongest team in the Elite AFC, "Al Hilal". We did not call the title a clash of eternal rivals for nothing. The reason is that both clubs are playing their 20th season in the AFC Champions League. True, the format of the competition changed last year and it began to be called Elite, but since this is a logical continuation of the AFC Champions League that we are used to, we cannot abandon the previous history. In addition, Pakhtakor has played against Al Hilal 8 times so far.

Is Al Hilal still strong?

Yes, it is strong. This team did not finish the ACL Elite first round in first place for nothing. Having won 7 out of 8 games, Al Hilal collected 22 points with another draw. The Saudis have not lost yet. Al Hilal is currently in 2nd place in the domestic championship and is still fighting for the championship.

Another thing is that Al Hilal has more game practice than Pakhtakor. Because Pakhtakor has not participated in another official match since defeating Al Sadd on February 17. Al Hilal, on the other hand, has played in 3 more official matches after defeating Al Wasl from the UAE on the evening of February 18.

February 18. Elite ACL. Al Wasl - Al Hilal 0:2

February 22. Saudi League. Al Ittihad - Al Hilal 4:1

February 25. Saudi League. Al Hilal - Al Khalid 5:1

March 1. Saudi League. Al Hilal - Al Ahli 2:3

So, this team has played three games in the last week. Now let's briefly dwell on these four games.

Al Wasl - Al Hilal 0:2

Al Hilal returned from the trip, defeating the Emirati club 2:0. The goals were scored by Marcos Leonardo and Salim Al Dawsari. By the way, Salim Al Dawsari is one of the strongest players in Asia. He also plays well for the national team. In addition, he is currently the top scorer in the AFC Champions League Elite with 7 goals. For your information, Cristiano Ronaldo has 6 goals.

"Al Ittihad" - "Al Hilal" 4:1

For "Al Hilal" this match was a game that decided the championship. However, they lost the derby. "Al Ittihad" did not spare their opponent and won by a large margin. Marcos Leonardo scored another goal for "Al Hilal". As mentioned, this player plays at number 11. Marcos, born in 2003, is a member of the Brazilian U-21 team. He joined "Al Hilal" from the Portuguese club "Benfica" last year.

"Al Hilal" - "Al Khalud" 5:1

In the next match, "Al Hilal" took all the pain from "Al Khalud". Salim Al-Dawsari and Malcom scored two goals each in this match. Another goal was scored by Marcos Leonardo.

"Al Hilal" - "Al Ahli" 2:3

And finally, last night, Al Hilal played another important match and lost. In the match against Al Ahli at home, the capital's team lost 2:3. This was Al Hilal's last match before the trip to Tashkent. The Kingdom Arena in Riyadh was packed with fans for the match against Al Ahli. The opponent's striker Ivan Toni scored three goals. In the Al Hilal team, the same Salim Al Dowsari and Marcos Leonardo scored.

What tactics does Al Hilal use?

As you can see, this team is not doing very well. A big win over Al Khalud doesn't mean anything. The team lost to their main rivals, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahly. This shows that Al Hilal has enough problems. Now it all depends on how well the Pakhtakor coaching staff has studied the opponent.

Judging by the last four matches, Al Hilal has been using a 4-2-3-1 tactic. The goal is mainly guarded by Moroccan Yassine Bounou (No. 37). This goalkeeper is remembered by his fans for his performances at the World Cup.

The defense is divided as follows, starting from the right wing: Joao Cancelo (No. 20) - Kalidou Koulibaly (No. 3) - Ali Al Boulayhi (No. 5) - Moteb Al Harbi (No. 24). The two supporting midfielders are: Ruben Neves (No. 8), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (No. 22) and Mohamed Kanno (No. 28). In the last match, the coach played the Neves-Savic pair in the middle.

The left wing of the midfield belongs to the team captain Salim Al Dowsari (No. 29). He has been the only one to play for the last four games. On the right, Caio Cesar (No. 27) plays. Malcom (No. 77) played on the right in only one match. In the other three matches, Caio Cesar played. Behind the striker, Abdullah Al Hamdan (No. 99), sometimes Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and sometimes Malcom. Now it also depends on the coach's choice.

The obvious striker in the team is the aforementioned Marcos Leonardo (No. 11). Very fast and agile. Another top scorer of the team, Aleksandar Mitrovic (No. 9), has not been seen in the lineup. Perhaps he is injured. As you know, Neymar left the club and returned to Brazil.

Who is the head coach?

Al Hilal has been managed by Portuguese specialist Jorge Jesus for a year and a half. This coach turned 70 last year. By the way, this coach managed Al Hilal in the second half of 2018. Later, he worked at Flamengo, Benfica, Fenerbahce, and returned to Al Hilal.

Jorge Jesus won the Saudi championship once with Al Hilal. He also won the King's Cup once and the Super Cup three times.

In conclusion

Al Hilal is a strong opponent, but at the moment you can play with any team. It all depends on choosing the right tactics, strong will and passion. Al Hilal also has its weaknesses. For example, the team does not defend well in set pieces. And judging by the last matches, they mostly concede goals from set pieces. Especially when the ball is passed, their defenders act very unevenly. Set pieces can help Pakhtakor.

Al Hilal conceded 7 goals in a match against two strong opponents. So, the defense is not doing well at all. In addition, there are signs of fatigue in the team, which is good for Pakhtakor. Pakhtakor misses football and official matches, and they can use this to play with the current Al Hilal. The names in the opponent's team look "terrible", but they run on the field.

Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”