Saudi club Al-Ahli is preparing for a tough match against their host Al-Duhail from Qatar on Monday evening, September 28, 2025, in the second round of the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite.

Expected Al-Ahli lineup:

• Goalkeeper: Burk
• Defense: Bassam Al-Rawi, Gian Castileto, Youssef Ayman, Sultan Al-Buraik
• Midfield: Luiz Ciara, Marco Verratti
• Attacking Midfield: Edmilson Junior, Luis Alberto, Adel Bulbineh
• Attack: Krzysztof Piatek

Al-Ahli, the defending champions, started their Asian campaign with a convincing 4-2 win over Uzbekistan’s Nasaf. Meanwhile, Al-Duhail lost their opening match against Saudi club Al-Hilal 2-1.

The opening round results give Al-Ahli a psychological advantage before today’s match, while Al-Duhail seeks to compensate for their loss and avoid an early setback in the group.

Al-Ahli enters this match after regaining balance domestically, having beaten Al-Hazm 2-0 in the Saudi league following a previous loss to Egypt’s Pyramids in the Intercontinental Cup. The team appears mentally and technically strong and aims for a second Asian win to boost their chances of early qualification.

The match will be held at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium at 9:15 PM Egypt and Saudi time, broadcast on “beIN Sports 1 HD”.

The new tournament format features 24 teams in the group stage (12 from West Asia, 12 from East Asia). Each team plays 8 matches (4 home and 4 away) against 8 different opponents. Eight teams from each region qualify for the round of 16, played over two legs. From the quarterfinals onward, the tournament is single-elimination matches held in one country, Saudi Arabia this season.

Other matches today include Nasaf Qarshi vs. Al-Hilal at 4:45 PM on “beIN Sports 1 HD”, Tractor vs. Al-Wahda at 7:00 PM on “beIN Sports 2 HD”, and Al-Gharafa vs. Al-Shorta at 7:00 PM on “beIN Sports 1 HD”.