Korean football club Ulsan Hyundai Tigers will chase their first Asian club championship this weekend against a Saudi Arabian rival.
The K-League's Ulsan will host Al Ahli in the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Munsu Stadium, some 410 kilometers south of Seoul.
Ulsan clinched the berth in the final by eliminating Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan in the semifinals. Ulsan is the fourth consecutive K-League club to reach the AFC final.
Al Ahli squeezed past fellow Saudi Arabian club, Al Ittihad, in the semis.
This will be the maiden AFC final appearance for Ulsan in its third try. Al Ahli was the runner-up to a South Korean team Daewoo Royals in 1986, when the tournament was called the Asian Club Championship.
Ulsan has remained undefeated in its 11 AFC matches this year, with nine wins and two draws. Kim Ho-gon, the team's head coach, said he has told his players to put the past record behind them and to focus on the one remaining game.
"They should all forget about those 11 games," he said. "They should think only about winning this one upcoming match."
Ulsan has been riding on the coattails of its two offensive stars: Kim Shin-wook and Lee Keun-ho. The forwards have combined for 10 of the team's 24 goals in the AFC competition, and both have scored in each of Ulsan's last three matches, all victories.
Both players have had demanding schedules throughout the Champions League, as they have also represented South Korea in FIFA World Cup qualifying matches at home and on the road. The talented Ulsan team also has a couple of other national team fixtures, such as defensive leader Kwak Tae-hwi and goalkeeper Kim Young-kwang.
Coach Kim has given these players rest whenever he could. He has made no secret of his intention to prioritize the club's chase for the AFC crown over its standing in the domestic K-League. And the national team members and other starters have sat out recent K-League contests so they could be fresh for AFC matches.
And sitting 22 points out of first place in fifth among the 16 K-League teams this year, Ulsan, in Kim's book, has little to play for at home.
Kim said he has been breaking down videos of Al Ahli's AFC matches, including both of the two-leg semifinal games. He said he is particularly wary of the opponent's two forwards, Amad Al Hosni and Victor Simoes.
"Al Hosni is excellent at penetrating from wings to the middle," Kim said. "Victor Simoes (who played for K-League's Chunnam Dragons from 2007 to 2008) is a strong player who can make sharp passes even with defenders on his back."
Ulsan and Al Ahli both finished second in their respective leagues in the previous season.
The K-League has produced nine Asian club champions -- more than any other on the continent -- dating back to the days of the Asian Champion Club Tournament in 1967, including two of the last three. (Yonhap)
The K-League's Ulsan will host Al Ahli in the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Munsu Stadium, some 410 kilometers south of Seoul.
Ulsan clinched the berth in the final by eliminating Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan in the semifinals. Ulsan is the fourth consecutive K-League club to reach the AFC final.
Al Ahli squeezed past fellow Saudi Arabian club, Al Ittihad, in the semis.
This will be the maiden AFC final appearance for Ulsan in its third try. Al Ahli was the runner-up to a South Korean team Daewoo Royals in 1986, when the tournament was called the Asian Club Championship.
Ulsan has remained undefeated in its 11 AFC matches this year, with nine wins and two draws. Kim Ho-gon, the team's head coach, said he has told his players to put the past record behind them and to focus on the one remaining game.
"They should all forget about those 11 games," he said. "They should think only about winning this one upcoming match."
Ulsan has been riding on the coattails of its two offensive stars: Kim Shin-wook and Lee Keun-ho. The forwards have combined for 10 of the team's 24 goals in the AFC competition, and both have scored in each of Ulsan's last three matches, all victories.
Both players have had demanding schedules throughout the Champions League, as they have also represented South Korea in FIFA World Cup qualifying matches at home and on the road. The talented Ulsan team also has a couple of other national team fixtures, such as defensive leader Kwak Tae-hwi and goalkeeper Kim Young-kwang.
Coach Kim has given these players rest whenever he could. He has made no secret of his intention to prioritize the club's chase for the AFC crown over its standing in the domestic K-League. And the national team members and other starters have sat out recent K-League contests so they could be fresh for AFC matches.
And sitting 22 points out of first place in fifth among the 16 K-League teams this year, Ulsan, in Kim's book, has little to play for at home.
Kim said he has been breaking down videos of Al Ahli's AFC matches, including both of the two-leg semifinal games. He said he is particularly wary of the opponent's two forwards, Amad Al Hosni and Victor Simoes.
"Al Hosni is excellent at penetrating from wings to the middle," Kim said. "Victor Simoes (who played for K-League's Chunnam Dragons from 2007 to 2008) is a strong player who can make sharp passes even with defenders on his back."
Ulsan and Al Ahli both finished second in their respective leagues in the previous season.
The K-League has produced nine Asian club champions -- more than any other on the continent -- dating back to the days of the Asian Champion Club Tournament in 1967, including two of the last three. (Yonhap)
