2021 AFC Champions League

Discussion in 'AFC: Tournaments' started by dinamo_zagreb, Dec 20, 2020.

  1. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    New continental season will see a new Champions League format. 40 teams will now feature in the competition proper with 10 groups of four teams each. Top team from each group and six best second placed teams (three in each zone) will qualify to the second round.

    For the first time ever, group stage will feature teams from Jordan, India, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan (West) and Philippines (East). Singapore representative returns after a long wait.

    Competition will start with two preliminary rounds, same as before, single-leg knock-out format. Pairings are already known, with Esteghlal - Al-Ain being the most interesting.

    If all goes well, preliminary rounds will be play in March and April with group stage play set to start in April. Final is scheduled for 21/27 November 2021.
     
  2. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Group stage draw was made in Kuala Lumpur.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_AFC_Champions_League_group_stage

    Groups will be played in centralised venues, but in double round-robin basis. All will be played in one window - West zone will play 14 - 30 April, East will play 21 April - 7 May. Hosts will be known at a later day. It makes me wonder why they did not went with eight single round-robin 5-team groups as this (centralised groups) is hopefully one-off.

    Second round and quarterfinal will be played over as a single legs, semifinal and final over two legs.
     
  3. Angsa

    Angsa Member

    Aug 26, 2008
    Hong Kong
    Club:
    Everton FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
  4. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Chinese champion Jiangsu just folded. :eek:

    Shanghai Port replaced Shandong in playoff, now they will enter the group stage. Seems like there will be no Chinese team in playoff so I assume winner of preliminary match Brisbane - Kaya will qualify to group stage.

    Turkmenistani representative have also withdrawn from the competition.
     
  5. gold4278

    gold4278 Member

    Feb 21, 2007
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I am seeing rumor that Shanghai Port will remain in playoff and that Pohang and Ratchaburi will enter Group Stage directly
     
    dinamo_zagreb repped this.
  6. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    It all starts today with West zone Playoff round. Three games today, one on Saturday.

    Group stage starts next week with groups played in UAE, Saudi Arabia, and India.

    East zone matches will be played in June and July.
     
  7. Iranian Monitor

    Iranian Monitor Member+

    Aug 18, 2004
    Nat'l Team:
    Iran
    The group games in the western division have concluded and 3 teams from Iran (Persepolis, Esteghlal, and Tractor) along with two Saudi clubs (Al Nasr and Al Hilal), two from the UAE (Sharjah and Al Wahda), as well as a Tajik club (Istiklal) (which made history by being the first club from Tajikstan to make it this far) advancing to the R16,

    The R16 match ups will be several months from now pitting Persepolis (IR) against Istiklal (TAJ), Esteghlal (IR) v. Al Hilal (KSA), Tractor (IR) v Al Nasr (KSA), and the two UAE clubs against one another.
     
    AIL1998 and dinamo_zagreb repped this.
  8. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Great group stage, loving this Istiklol team and what they achieved.
     
    AIL1998 repped this.
  9. AIL1998

    AIL1998 Member+

    May 27, 2012
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I love this Istiklol team as well. Persepolis needs to watch them out carefully.

    Iranian teams did fairly well in the group stage of ACL 2021. It will be extremely difficult for Persepolis, Esteghlal, and Tractor Sazi to keep their key players due to much higher salary offer they may receive from other leagues. The good thing was that all Iranian teams had Iranian coaches. Iran football needs to spend/invest more on producing decent coaches in the country instead of wasting millions of dollars to bring foreign coaches.

    Although I am usually against brining non-Iranian Asian players to Iran league unless he is superior to our players but I really hope to see top players of Tajikistan football in Iran league if they do not get offer from any better league.

    In an interview with Iranian New Agencies, two Istiqlol players Rustam Yatimov and Zoir Juraboev said they welcome to play in Iran league if they receive an offer when this was asked from them by Iranian news agency. Here are the links:

    رستم یتیموف: ایران خیلی دوستت داریم :: ورزش سه (varzesh3.com)
    ستاره استقلال تاجیکستان: هراسی از تیم قدرتمند پرسپولیس نداریم - ایرنا (irna.ir)

    I personally do not like 40 teams in ACL. 32 teams was fine. If more countries want to get involved in it, IMO they could increase the number of play off slots/games instead of expanding the tournament to 40 teams.
     
    Iranian Monitor repped this.
  10. almango

    almango Member+

    Sydney FC
    Australia
    Nov 29, 2004
    Bulli, Australia
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Australia
  11. Angsa

    Angsa Member

    Aug 26, 2008
    Hong Kong
    Club:
    Everton FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Since the CSL is resuming after the WCQs, the mainland Chinese clubs are only sending their youth squads. They can't afford to lose their main squads to quarantines after playing the ACL group matches abroad.
     
  12. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Mockery. The whole season.
     
  13. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Kaya Iloilo from The Philippines defeated Shanghai in preliminary and qualified to the group stage. Although Shanghai played with B team, this must be a shocker!
     
  14. Angsa

    Angsa Member

    Aug 26, 2008
    Hong Kong
    Club:
    Everton FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
  15. Bluewings21

    Bluewings21 Member

    Suwon Samsung Bluewings
    Apr 26, 2018
    Nat'l Team:
    Korea Republic
    Semifinals

    Pohang vs. Ulsan
    Al Nassr vs. Al Hilal
     
  16. glennaldo_sf

    glennaldo_sf Member+

    Houston Dynamo, Penang FC, Al Duhail
    United States
    Nov 25, 2004
    Doha, Qatar
    Club:
    FL Fart Vang Hedmark
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So we know now that the final will be held in Saudi Arabia as is the new policy of the final being a one-leg game rotating between east and west Asia. Still don't know where the club world cup will be played...
     
  17. Bluewings21

    Bluewings21 Member

    Suwon Samsung Bluewings
    Apr 26, 2018
    Nat'l Team:
    Korea Republic
    Pohang Steelers have just knocked off their most hated archrival Ulsan Hyundai in PSO.

    Final: Pohang vs. Al Hilal
     

Share This Page