Al-Ain resumes the battle to retain its continental crown when the Asian Champions League Elite returns on Monday, with the club from the United Arab Emirates hosting Qatar¡¯s Al-Rayyan in a must-win game for Leonardo Jardim¡¯s beleaguered side.
Al-Ain lifted the Asian title in May with victory over Yokohama F. Marinos under Hernan Crespo, but has since put on a faltering defense that has seen the Argentinian replaced by Jardim and the club on the verge of elimination.
With just two points from six matches in the league phase of the competition, Al-Ain sits three points adrift of the qualifying spots for the knockout rounds with two matches to play in the recently reconfigured competition.
Under the Swiss league format, eight of the 12 teams in both west and east Asia advance to the last 16, with that phase to be played in March. Five knockout round berths have already been claimed in a competition dominated by Saudi Arabian clubs.
Cristiano Ronaldo¡¯s Al-Nassr as well as Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli have all confirmed their progress to the next phase in west Asia, where they will be joined by Al-Sadd from Qatar and Al-Wasl of the UAE to leave the rest battling for the three slots left.
Iran¡¯s Persepolis, currently sixth in the standings, travels to Riyadh on Tuesday to play Al-Hilal, which saw Brazil¡¯s Neymar leave last week, knowing a win will likely secure progress, while Esteghlal meets Iraqi¡¯s Al-Shorta with similar ambitions.
Al-Rayyan, meanwhile, will look to suppress Al-Ain¡¯s efforts to revitalize its campaign to maintain its own push for a place in the last 16.
Uzbekistan¡¯s Pakhtakor sits in ninth spot, one point behind Esteghlal in the final qualifying position, and takes on 10th-placed Al-Gharafa from Qatar, with both clubs¡¯ hopes also on the line.
Clubs in east Asia will return to action on Feb. 10.
In that half of the draw, Yokohama F. Marinos leads the standings on goal-difference from South Korea¡¯s Gwangju FC and Vissel Kobe, but none of the 12 teams have confirmed their progress to the next phase.
Only one club has been eliminated, with Australia¡¯s Central Coast Mariners stranded at the bottom of the eastern standings on a solitary point from six games, leaving the club seven points adrift of a qualification spot with two games remaining.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.