AFC Champions League Final: I Expect Second-Leg To Be Tougher Says Urawa’s Head Coach Maciej Skorza
Urawa Reds will host Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia in the second leg of the AFC Champions League 2022 final on Saturday 6th of July, 2023, at the Saitama Stadium in Saitama City in, Japan.
Both teams played an entertaining 1-1 draw in Riyadh last weekend, as Al-Hilal failed to capitalize on home advantage. The home team holds an advantage going into this second-leg match, with a valuable away goal scored in Riyadh last weekend.
The Saudi team will be missing two crucial players in their group. To add to the away goal scored by Urawa Reds in the first leg, influential midfielder Salem Al Dawsari is suspended after he was shown a red card in the first leg, while Captain Salman Al Faraj is out with an injury.
Al-Hilal is looking to defend the title, but a tougher assignment awaits them in Japan after the result of the first leg. Urawa’s head coach Maciej Skorza is still not convinced his team holds any advantage ahead of the return leg
” To be honest, my approach to this game is not going to be different because I think Al-Hilal is a kind of team that has a huge number of outstanding players and am sure they will bring a strong team for us. I expect even more tough game than in Riyadh,”
Skorza said to reporters in a press conference ahead of the return leg. Urawa Reds will hope for a repeat of the same outcome as in the 2019 decider when they lifted the trophy after winning the return leg 1-0 in Saitama Stadium, where the two sides will lock horns this weekend.
