Al-Hilal is the most successful club in Asia
The draw results from Kuala Lumpur are out and it’s a piece of big news for the entirety of Indian Football. ISL Shield and domestic Play-off winners Mumbai City FC have been drawn with Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia. The defending West Zone winners now serve as the home to superstars like Neymar amongst many others.
Mumbai are drawn in Group D with Al-Hilal, FC Nassaji Mazandaran (Iran), and Navbahor Namangan (Uzbekistan).
The Mumbai-based and City Football Group-owned club qualified for Asia’s Premier Club tournament by virtue of winning the ISL Shield last season and beating previous year’s winners Jamshedpur FC in the domestic Play-off.
Al-Hilal were in the thick of things in the revolutionary summer transfer window football had this year. Just a few days back, the Saudi club did a gigantic welcome ceremony for Neymar – followed by another Brazilian Malcom and Yassine Bounou.
They are not the only famous faces to be plying trade for ‘The Boss’. Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves, Senegal defender Koulibaly, Lazio hero Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Serbian legend Aleksander Mitrovic are also some of the big names who are looking to light up the Asian Football scenario. The club also employs Salem Al-Dawsari – a familiar face due to his historical brace against Argentina in their opening game of the World Cup last year.
The football season in Saudi has started. Al Hilal lost out to Al Nassr in the Arab Champions Cup final. But they have started the league far better than that. Their season started with a 3-1 win against Abha where Malcom scored a hattrick.
Mumbai City FC, fresh off a formidable season, have picked up from where they left off. In the ongoing Durand Cup, they have cruised to the knockouts where they will face Mohun Bagan.
As exciting as it gets, it’s India’s last chance to make a mark in the Asian Champions League as they will not be getting a spot atleast for a while. Previous season’s ISL Golden Boot winner Lallianzuala Chhangte would be going head-to-head with Koulibaly and Saudi international Nasser Al-Dawsari. It provides everyone, from Greg Stewart to Phurba Lachenpa, a brilliant chance to put themselves out there.
The timings of the games aren’t out, but the club has announced that it will play its home games at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune – 150 kilometers from Mumbai Football Arena. The stadium only holds a capacity of over 11,000.
