Kings of ASIA The Tigers made winning the AFC CL look so easy, will they do it again? Who do you think will be an AFC CL contender this year? Are there any legitimate clubs to give Ittihad a run for their money?
Of course their is, AlHilal will be a tough contender, and this time if they meet Ittihad will not win by a 2 goal margin or more like usual.
How did I forget Al Hilal? It's going to be an interesting CL next year. Surely Al-Hilal might reduce the Ittihad 5 to 7 goals fiasco!
I don't think any one could compete with them~ actually they are not like a asian team, maybe some western clubs could do so but seems no eastern clubs has the ability. BTW~ Chinese media says Ittihad's chairman abdicated after their defeat in WCW, is that true?
Actually, I've heard the same rumor but for different reasons. Al-Balawi (Ittihad Chairman) anounced that he would be moving his residence from Jeddah to the capital Riyadh. That's all he said. But recently, he anounced that he would take Jeddah to the WCW next December. So, if he does leave Ittihad, it won't be because of the recent WCW. As of now, he is still the Ittihad Chairman.
A year is a long time, we'll have to see what shape the teams will be in when the knockout stage kicks off next year. As for rivalries, the big rivalry is between Ittihad and Ahli, and Hilal and Nassr. Hilal v Ittihad is only there while both teams are competitive, while the two above would still be big even if they went down to the second division.