Mumbai City FC will figure out their AFC Champions Association bunch stage rivals on Thursday evening when the draw happens in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mumbai qualified for the competition subsequent to beating Jamshedpur FC 3-1 in a season finisher tie in April, in the wake of becoming ISL Association Safeguard victors prior this year.In the club's second passage into the opposition, they affirmed recently that they would play their home games in Pune, because of the Mumbai Football Field being ineligible to have AFC Champions Association matches.
The Pots
Mumbai City will be set in Pot 3 of the West Zone, with one group from each pot getting brought into every one of the five gatherings.
Pot 1: Al Ittihad (KSA), Persepolis FC (IRN), Al Sadd SC (QAT), Pakhtakor (UZB), Al Hilal (KSA)
Pot 2: Sepahan SC (IRN), Al Duhail SC (QAT), FC Nasaf (UZB), Al Fayha FC (KSA), Nassaji Masandaran FC (IRN)
Pot 3: Al Faisaly (JOR), FC Istiklol (TJK), Flying corps Club (IRQ), Ahal FC (TKM), Mumbai City FC (IND)
Pot 4: Al Ain FC (UAE), Al Nassr (KSA), Sharjah FC (UAE), AGMK FC (UZB), Navbahor (UZB)
🚨 𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗕 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 🚨
With the Mumbai Football Field sadly ineligible to have AFC Champions Association games, introducing our usual hangout spot for the 2023-24 #ACL - the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune 📍
Peruse greater ⤵️#AamchiCity 🔵 @TheAFCCL
- Mumbai City FC (@MumbaiCityFC) August 22, 2023
Could Mumbai City FC at any point confront any of the enormous Saudi clubs?
Indeed, Neymar's Al Hilal, Karim Benzema's Al Ittihad and Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr are potential gathering stage adversaries for Mumbai City. Truth be told, there's a 40% opportunity that Mumbai City will be drawn against either Al Ittihad or Al Hilal. Be that as it may, just a single group for every nation can be brought into any gathering, so assuming Mumbai draw one of the Saudi Bedouin clubs from Pot 1, they won't confront Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr too.
"We as a whole realize there are presently large players playing at the Saudi groups. We are anticipating playing one of the huge groups, similar to Al Nassr or Al Ittihad," Mumbai City commander Rahul Bheke told ESPN.
Lead trainer Des Buckingham likewise talked about the energy at the capability of the club confronting any semblance of Ronaldo and Neymar. "I think it'll be perfect. Players need to play against the best players. That is the excellence of this opposition. It's the most elevated level of club football in Asia, which currently has one more layer of energy in light of what has occurred in Saudi Arabia," the British bloke told ESPN.
What happened last time Mumbai City FC played the AFC Champions Association?
Buckingham's side completed second in Gathering B in the last version of the AFC Champions Association yet passed up capability to the second round by two, as unquestionably the three greatest second-put groups from the five West Zone gatherings could qualify. Mumbai City beat Iraq's Flying corps club two times - 2-1 and 1-0 - and got one draw against UAE's Al Jazira, however were no counterpart for Saudi Arabia's Al Shabab.
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Where might I at any point watch the draw?
The draw will be streamed live on the AFC Center YouTube channel from 1:30 PM IST onwards.
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