Urawa Red Diamonds will be looking to claim their third Asian title when they take on Saudi Arabian powerhouse and the defending champions, Al Hilal SFC, in the first leg of the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2022 final on Saturday 29 April (Sunday 30 April, Japan time). This will be the third time the two teams will meet in the ACL final, with the second leg taking place on Saturday 6 May at Saitama Stadium 2002.

With the ACL's transition to a season-based format, the 2022 ACL season, which began last April, will finally come to an end. Taking centre stage in the home-and-away final are Urawa and Al Hilal, who have met in two previous finals, with Urawa winning in 2017 and Al Hilal in 2019. Whoever wins this clash will become the first team to take home its third ACL championship.

After drawing the first leg 1-1 in the encounter in 2017, Urawa won the second leg 1-0 to reach the Asian summit for the first time in a decade. However, in 2019 they missed out on the championship, losing the first leg 0-1 in Riyadh before losing 0-2 at home. This time, they will be looking to avenge that defeat.

Al Hilal built on their success in 2019 to win the ACL for the second time in 2021. If they win this time, they will be the first team to win back-to-back titles since Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad Club achieved the feat in 2004 and 2005.

The team is led by Head Coach Ramon DIAZ, a former Argentine international who once played for Yokohama F. Marinos. He also led Al Hilal in the aforementioned final in 2017 and will be looking to make amends in his second final against the Japanese side.

The 63-year-old coach, a renowned tactician, briefly left Al Hilal in 2018, worked for clubs in Paraguay and Saudi Arabia, before making his return in February 2022. The Argentine coach guided Al Hilal to the league title in his first season back at the club, and in February of this year, after defeating South American champions Flamengo (Brazil) 3-2 in the semi-finals, he guided the team to the FIFA Club World Cup™ final where they lost 3-5 to Real Madrid. Although they lost in the end, they made their presence felt by scoring three goals in a closely contested match.

Al Hilal have continued to perform well since then. They are currently fourth in the domestic league, in contention for the championship, and have reached the final of the King's Cup, beating Al-Ittihad Club 1-0 in extra time in the semi-final played on 23 April.

The Saudi Arabian side won four games, drew one, and lost one during the group stage of this year's ACL, where they finished first in Group A. They began the year by defeating Shabab Al Ahli (UAE) 3-1 in the round of 16 in February. They then defeated Foolad FC (Iran) 1-0 in the quarterfinals and Al-Duhail SC (Qatar) 7-0 in the semifinals to advance to the championship game.

Al Hilal offers excellent attacking power. Nigerian striker Odion IGHALO has scored two penalties in their most recent league match against Al-Nassr FC, helping the team to a 2-0 victory. He tops the league scoring charts with 18 goals and is also second in the ACL scoring charts with seven goals so far.

Argentine midfielder Luciano VIETTO, who played in the Spanish LaLiga and the English Premier League, scored three goals in the Club World Cup semi-finals and final. Former Mali international Moussa MAREGA also scored a goal against the European champions.

The team also boasts a diverse attacking line-up, including Saudi Arabian internationals Salem ALDAWSARI and Mohamed KANNO in the attacking third, with Colombian international Gustavo CUELLAR in midfield, and South Korean defender JANG Hyun-soo anchoring the final line.

Urawa headed to ACL final with a seven game undefeated streak in the J.League

Urawa, who are entering their fourth final, are looking to avenge their debt to Al Hilal, who prevented them from winning the championship in 2019, and claim their third Asian title.

After placing second in the group stage held in Thailand in April of last year, Urawa defeated Johor Darul Ta'zim FC (Malaysia) 5-0 and BG Pathum United FC (Thailand) 4-0 in the knockout stage held in Saitama in August. In the semi-finals, they beat two-time ACL champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (Korea Republic) 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out to advance to the final.

With the ACL spanning over two seasons, Urawa have had a change of manager during this period. Spanish coach Ricardo RODRIGUEZ left the club at the end of last season and was replaced by Polish coach Maciej SKORZA.

After the previous season, the team also lost Kasper JUNKER, Ataru ESAKA, and Yusuke, but welcomed back KOROKI Shinzo and OGIWARA Takuya from Sapporo and Kyoto, respectively. Jose KANTE from Spain and Marius HOIBRATEN from Sweden have also recently joined them.

Under the new regime of coach Skorza, the team started the season with two consecutive defeats but has gradually improved its form and position in the league table. They gave up the opening goal in a road match against Kawasaki Frontale on 23 April, just before leaving for Saudi Arabia, but rallied with Bryan LINSSEN's first league goal to draw 1-1. The team has been undefeated in seven league matches and are in fourth place in the standings.

The team's defence has been stabilised by former Japan National Team goalkeeper NISHIKAWA Shusaku, the centre-back duo of Alexander SCHOLZ and Hoibraten, and defensive midfielders IWAO Ken and ITO Atsuki.

Koroki leads the way in offence, with Ogiwara and AKIMOTO Takahiro adding layers to their attacks from the flanks. SEKINE Takahiro, OKUBO Tomoaki, and KOIZUMI Yoshio have also made their presence felt in the attacking third. The timing of SAKAI Hiroki's return from an injury lay-off will also be a key factor in the final.

Coach Skorza said that the ACL final had been on his mind since his first day in charge, as he commented after the game against Kawasaki, “We wanted to win the match and enter the ACL with confidence. We were able to play with composure and control the game during the first half. We played with high spirits and strong mentality.”

In addition, Scholz offered his perspective ahead of the crucial game, saying that "the ACL is the most important title in my football career" and that the contest against the aggressive Al Hilal team "is a tough game away from home, but I am confident because we are on an unbeaten streak. It will be crucial for us to maintain composure, exercise self-control, and perform at the top of our game.”

Koroki, who has the experience of playing in the 2017 and 2019 finals, added, “They are not easy opponents. We will go into the away game thinking it will be a half-court game, but I am sure we will have one or two chances. We want to make the most of those chances and earn positive results before returning home for the second leg.”

The first leg of the ACL final is scheduled to kick-off at 20:30 on Saturday 29 April (2:30 on Sunday 30 April Japan time). The second leg is scheduled for Saturday 6 May at Saitama Stadium 2002.

Tournament Information