.jpg?20241213')
FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN’S Al Khaldiya will take on Tractor FC of Iran in the round-of-16 knockouts of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League (ACL) Two, it emerged yesterday.
The Bahrainis’ opponents were determined in the official draw, held at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This round of matches will be played over two legs – the first between February 11 and 13 and the next between February 18 and 20. The game schedule has yet to be released by the AFC.
Khaldiya have a tough opponent in the opening knockout stage, with Tractor having won three of their four matches in the preliminary round to finish as winners of Group A. The kingdom’s representatives booked their place as runners-up in Group B.
Khaldiya’s head-to-head is one of four from the ACL Two’s West region. The others see Al Wakrah SC of Qatar face Al Taawoun FC of Saudi Arabia, Al Wehdat of Jordan take on Shabab Al Ahli of the UAE, and Al Hussein of Jordan face Sharjah FC of the UAE.
In the East region, Nam Dinh FC of Vietnam take on Sanfrecce Hiroshima of Japan, Muangthong United of Thailand take on Lion City Sailors FC of Singapore, Port FC of Thailand play Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC of South Korea, and Sydney FC of Australia take on Bangkok United of Thailand.
The victors in the round of 16 will move on to the quarter-finals in March, and then the semi-finals will be held in April, before the tournament culminates in a single-leg final on May 17.
The ACL Two is the second-tier club competition of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Rebranded from the AFC Cup, it is one level below the AFC Champions League Elite and one above the AFC Challenge League.
&uuid=(email))