SIPG, Guangzhou to clash in last 8
Print Edition
LOCAL outfit Shanghai SIPG has been handed a tough draw in the AFC Champions League quarterfinals — taking on two-time champion Guangzhou Evergrande.
The draw for the knockout stage was made in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday.
It would be the second “Chinese derby” in the Asian tournament’s knockout stage, after SIPG overcame another Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning in the last 16 for a spot in the quarterfinals.
The other quarterfinal in the east division will be between two Japanese teams — Kawasaki Frontale and Urawa Red Diamonds. In the west division, 2016 runner-up al-Ain from the United Arab Emirates will face Saudi Arabia’s al-Hilal, while another Saudi team al-Ahli takes on Iran’s Persepolis.
With the tournament split until the final, the winner of the eastern semifinal will take on the western semifinal winner in November’s two-leg final.
Andre Villas-Boas’ SIPG will have home advantage in the first leg of their encounter on August 22, while the second leg is scheduled for September 12. Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Evergrande has won the elite tournament in 2013 and 2015.
“We had hoped to take on a Japanese team so that the two Chinese clubs would get a chance to advance to the last 4 together,” SIPG general manager Sui Guoyang said. “Since the result is out, we are not afraid of any opponent.”
Captain Wang Shenchao also expressed confidence. “Our goal is the championship, and we would have met Evergrande sooner or later,” Wang said.
The teams have already met in the domestic league this season, with Guangzhou winning 3-2 in April, and they will meet again on July 22 in the national competition in Shanghai before their ACL first leg.
Scolari’s side currently leads the CSL by two points from SIPG as the story of the season for both clubs hinges on the head-to-head battles between them.
Meanwhile, Persepolis and al-Ahli will no longer play their second-leg quarterfinals in Qatar, the AFC said, as a diplomatic crisis sweeps the region.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen were among those to cut ties with Qatar on the grounds that Doha backed extremist groups “that aim to destabilize the region”.
The rift means a new venue will have to be found for the matches between the two teams.
“Iran has chosen Oman as its neutral venue. Saudi has chosen Qatar for its home match but now with the new development, Saudi Arabia has to propose a new (neutral) venue,” AFC secretary general Windsor John said.
John said the new neutral venue could be identified over the next two weeks. Neither Saudi Arabia nor Iran play matches at home.
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