Urawa Red Diamonds will take on Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) in the second leg of the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2017 Final at home on Saturday 25 November, and aim at winning the Asian title for first time after ten years and for the second time in their club history.

Urawa have an unbeaten record at home in the ACL this year. If they win the second leg, they will capture the championship with a perfect record at home. On the other hand, Al-Hilal will look for their first ACL title after making their 13th appearance this season.

On Friday 24, the official press conference was held at the match venue, Saitama Stadium 2002, where the coaches and the players from both teams expressed their aspirations of the coming final.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

HORI Takafumi, Coach (Urawa Reds Diamonds)
The first leg was an away game and it was very difficult game for us. Our players fought hard and we received tremendous support from the fans, who came all the way from Japan and encouraged us from the stands, and those who cheered for us back in Japan. I must thank that we have attained a positive result and now have a chance to win the final because of their support. I expect a tough match tomorrow as well, but we are playing at our home stadium in Saitama. We are looking to fight together with all the fans and supporters of Urawa Reds and display our real strength in the coming match. We have made a good preparation taking into consideration how we played and the result we attained in the first match. We will play with discipline and share many joyous moments in the game with all the people who have being supporting our team. We will showcase our style of football at home in the coming final.

ENDO Wataru (Urawa Reds Diamonds)
The previous match on the road was a tough contest, but we take it as a positive that we forced a draw. We are confident about the coming game considering that we haven’t lost at home. We are looking to win the match for the all the supporters and fans who have supported our team this year.

Ramón Díaz, Coach (Al-Hilal)
We have been quite careful about our conditioning considering that we had a long travel to get here. We performed well in the first leg, and have been training with a positive mind-set for the second game. Yet, we know that it is going to be a tough match as well. Possession football is our brand of football and we will keep that style of play in the coming game. We will put strong pressure on our opponents and attack and defend with high intensity on the ball as well. We made plenty of attempts at goal in the first leg and will not change our game plan in Japan. We will continue to play possession football and take the initiative of the match, and create a lot of goal-scoring chances as well. When I played in Japan, I received so much love from the Japanese people. I will be returning the favour by doing the same and giving love to the Japanese people and to their country as well.

YASSER ALQAHTANI (Al-Hilal)
We are well prepared for the coming match and have the confidence to win it as well. We have reached the final and only need a win to grab the title. As the captain of the team, I encouraged my players by saying that we are a very competitive team and have the ability as well as the strength to win this game. I further added that if we will display our strength in Japan, then I have no doubt that we will win the final.

Tournament Period：24 January 2017 (Tue.) ～ 25 November 2017 (Sat.)

Final 2nd Leg
25 November 2017 (Sat.) Kick-ff TBC
Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) vs Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

For Tournament Information