Wihdat, Hussein have uphill task in Asian Champions League

AMMAN — Hussein play UAE’s Sharjah on Tuesday while Wihdat play Ahli Dubai Wednesday in return leg matches in the Round of 16 of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Champions League (ACL) Two.

Both teams have the hard task of overturning their Leg 1 defeats after losing their home matches in Amman. Hussein lost 1-0 to6-time UAE champions Sharjah while Wihdat lost 2-0 to Ahli , who were 2015  Asian Champions League finalist.

Observers attributed their defeats to their defensive strategywhile some players also sat out with injuries. On the other hand, their opponents have lineups with more experience on the Asian competitive scene bolstered by a host of pros.

Now, Hussein need to win by a difference of two goals while Wihdat need to win by a difference of three, a task seen a difficult by the most optimistic of fans.

Clubs played in eight groups in the 21st edition of the event, with the top two in each group advancing to the knockout rounds.The quarterfinals are set to start on March 4.

The second tier Asian event has replaced the AFC Cup as the top tier Asian clubs competition was rebranded as the ACL Elite. It is Hussein’s 2nd and Wihdat’s 13th time in the competition which was by Faisali twice in back-to-back seasons in 2005-2006 and Shabab Urdun once in 2007, Wihdat reached the semis in 2006, 2007 and 2011. No Jordanian clubs played in 2022.

Last season, Wihdat failed to advance beyond Round 1 at the AFC Cup as Faisali were eliminated from the Champions League. In past editions, Wihdat were eliminated in the group stages in 2021 and 2022 in the top tier Asian Champions League. None of the other Jordanian clubs had ever made it past the ACL preliminary round where Faisali played in 2020 and 2018,  Wihdat in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 and Shabab Urdun in 2014. 

Hussein and Wihdat are leading the local competitions this season.  Hussein top the CFI Jordan Professional FootballLeague and recently beat Wihdat to win the Jordan Super Cup. Earlier, Salt upset Wihdat the Jordan Football Association Shield Cup, while Wihdat and Hussein have reached the Jordan Cup semis.