ACL Elite: Can the RSL reign supreme in Jeddah? | OneFootball

The eyes of the Asian continent will be on Jeddah across the next week and a half as the city on the shores of the Red Sea plays host to the AFC Champions League Elite Finals 2025.

Asia’s premier club competition underwent a major overhaul this season, the most significant change being that all matches from the quarter-finals onwards would be staged in a centralised location across eight action-packed days to determine the continental kings.

The Kingdom was selected as host for this groundbreaking mini-tournament, which features three Roshn Saudi League sides among its four West Zone representatives: Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ahli. Qatar's Al complete the quarter.

That four are joined by the same number of clubs from the East Zone: Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale and Yokohama F.Marinos, South Korea’s Gwangju FC and Buriram United of Thailand.

The action kicks off on Friday, setting in motion a major focus on the RSL entrants to see if they can keep the trophy in the Kingdom for the third time in six seasons after Al Hilal’s successes in 2019 and 2021.

The RSL champions will be hoping to continue their incredible recent run having made the final in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022. Jorge Jesus’ men, second in the 2024-25 RSL, get the quarter-finals under way at Alinma Stadium on Friday when they face surprise package Gwangju FC.

However, Al Hilal find themselves in the somewhat unfamiliar position of a rut: they have won only five of their past 11 matches in all competitions, including four defeats. Two of those came in the Saudi Clasico against RSL title rivals Al Ittihad, and in the Capital Derby with Al Nassr.

Other dropped points, in the draws with Al Ettifaq and Al Shabab, has left Al Hilal, record-breaking title winners last season, six points off leaders Al Ittihad with five rounds remaining.

Perhaps a change in focus, though, is exactly what they need. Winning the AFC Champions League Elite is almost the raison d'être for Al Hilal; their four titles to date is the most of any club in Asia. Undeniably, they know what it takes to be successful in this competition.

They know, also, that they cannot take Gwangju lightly after the South Koreans dispatched Japanese heavyweights Vissel Kobe in the last 16, overturning a 2-0 deficit from the first leg to prevail 3-2 on aggregate.

“It will be a difficult match at the best of times because you can never take any match as easy, but we are enthusiastic to win the match and the competition,” Al Hilal's star midfielder Ruben Neves said on Thursday.

“We will have to do our best to improve because this competition is on another level and there won’t be time for correction due to the closeness of the fixtures. So we must be ready.”

If Al Hilal can navigate their way past the Korean outfit, a possible match-up with Al Ahli awaits in the semi-final. While all RSL sides will have a form of home advantage, for Al Ahli, it rings even truer.

Playing in their home city, it certainly gives them a significant advantage as they prepare to face Thailand’s Buriram United in their quarter-final on Saturday.

It’s been a mixed domestic campaign for Matthias Jaissle’s men, who have had to play catch up after a slow start. Still, with Matchweek 29 of the RSL season in the books, they sit fourth, two points of Al Nassr in third and four back from Al Hilal.

Yet, in Asia, Al Ahli have been almost flawless. To this juncture, they remain unbeaten, winning nine of 10 matches thus far. With Riyad Mahrez his usual, influential self, and Ivan Toney among the goals, Al Ahli boast the firepower to power them to the title.

It’s not just in attack where they are strong, however: with 29 goals conceded, they boast the best defensive record of any top-four team in the RSL this season - and second in the division overall.

Turkish international Merih Demiral has been at the heart of that backline and, only this week, promised Al Ahli fans that their team would leave no stone unturned to bring continental success to the club.

“Every game is important for us, but Champions League is always different,” Demiral said after Tuesday’s 3-2 RSL win at Al Wehda.

“Our fans expect a lot from us, and we will give everything to win the title. Although in football you never know, we are sure that we are going to give everything.”

That said, when it comes to firepower, few can match what Al Nassr have to offer. Despite turning 40 in January, Cristiano Ronaldo has wound back the clock this season, the capital club’s captain not only leading the RSL golden boot race (23 goals), but he has seven goals in Asia, too.

Alongside Colombian rising star Jhon Duran, and in-form former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, Al Nassr possess arguably the most potent attack of any team in the competition. And, with five wins from their past six in all competitions, they are finding form at the right time.

Not since Al Nassr won the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and Asian Super Cup in 1998 have the club found success on the continent.

Up first for them this time round are last season’s runners-up, Yokohama F.Marinos, who come into the quarter-finals bottom in the J.League and having just dismissed manager Steve Holland.

Therefore, the stage is set, not just for Al Nassr but all three RSL clubs. An entire continent’s attention - and even further afield - will be on Jeddah to see which team will be crowned this year’s conquerors of Asia.