Benzema, direction Uzbekistan

Published:

By: Manu Tournoux

Benzema, an "absurdity" denounced

Karim Benzema, Sadio Mané, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar now know their opponents in the Asian Champions League. And Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr will all go to distant lands.

After starting the Saudi Pro League, the Saudi clubs qualified in the Asian Champions League will play the group stage of the Asian Champions League from mid-September (10 groups of 4, the first and the best six second will play the 8th finals). The Asian confederation carried out the draw and offered trips to Central Asia and even to India for the 3 major Saudi clubs in the running.

Al-Ittihad, the reigning Saudi Arabian champion, who hosted reigning Ballon d’Or Karim Benzema, in addition to a 2018 world champion with N’Golo Kanté, will start against AGMK’s Uzbeks, before to face the Iranians of Sepahan and the Iraqis of Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, with matches respectively in the province of Tashkent, in Isfahan and Baghdad. It is also Al-Ittihad who is trying at all costs to snatch Mohamed Salah from Liverpool…

Ronaldo in Tajikistan

Al-Hilal will also travel to Iran and Uzbekistan to challenge Nassaji Mazandaran and Navbahor, but Neymar and his teammates will also panic India’s most populous city against Mumbai City, a club owned by Manchester City. In addition to the Brazilian star recruited from PSG, the biggest club in Saudi Arabia has put together an exceptional team with Yassine Bounou, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Finally, Cristiano Ronaldo will also cause a sensation during his away matches. Al-Nassr, who snatched his ticket in the Asian LDC play-offs on Tuesday, will face Persepolis (in Iran), Al-Duhail (Qatar) and Istiklol (Tajikistan, the other Central Asian country in this competition). “CR7”, he saw his team hire Sadio Mané, Seko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic as well as Aymeric Laporte and Otavio recently.

Note that this AFC Champions League is cut in two, with a West table and an East table. Only the final opposes a club from the West to a team from East Asia. In the last edition, the Urawa Red Diamonds beat Al-Hilal to claim the continental trophy.

Avatar photo

Written by:

Manu Tournoux

Manu Tournoux is a passionate and knowledgeable football enthusiast with a special focus on French football. Born and raised in France, Manu discovered his love for the beautiful game at a young age and developed a deep understanding of the ins and outs of "Le Championnat." His French roots and extensive experience in football journalism have made him an invaluable asset to the French Football Weekly team. As an author for the website, Manu's expertise includes not only in-depth analysis of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches but also insightful profiles of up-and-coming talents, detailed transfer news, and engaging coverage of the French national team. His captivating writing style and undeniable passion for the game have earned him a loyal following among our readers. When he's not crafting engaging articles for French Football Weekly, Manu enjoys attending live matches whenever he can, exploring football culture in various French cities, and engaging in spirited debates with fellow fans. Feel free to follow Manu on Twitter and interact with him as he shares his expert opinions, insights, and love for French football.

Leave a Comment