Johor Darul Ta’zim vs Urawa Reds

Stakes could not be higher as Johor Darul Ta’zim and Urawa Reds are set to square off at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in a handsomely-looking AFC Champions League knock-out tie.

Undisputed leaders in the Malaysia Super League, Johor DT, head into proceedings on the back of a stellar 15-game unbeaten run across all competitions (W13, D2). Hector Bidoglio’s men have won their last seven competitive outings by an aggregate score of 22-4, netting 2+ goals in six. Furthermore, Johor defied the odds to finish top of AFC Champions League Group I ahead of Urawa’s fierce domestic rivals Kawasaki Frontale, having racked up four wins from six group fixtures (D1, L1). However, a pair of scoring blanks against Kawasaki (D1, L1) suggests the ‘Southern Tigers’ do not enjoy playing against Japanese sides. That couldn’t mean less to Johor these days as they’ve won their last four competitive home matches by scoring 4+ goals on each occasion.

Meanwhile, Urawa Reds have enjoyed a noticeable upturn in form in the build-up to this encounter, going from a brace of winless domestic fixtures (D1, L1) to back-to-back victories, both of which came by 3+ goals ‘to nil.’ However, they’ve performed in patches on the road over the past few months, with none of their last 13 away games producing the same result as the one prior (W5, D5, L3). Seeking their first AFC Champions League title since 2017, Ricardo Rodriguez’s men finished runners-up to South Korean outfit Daegu in a highly competitive Group F despite only losing one of their six group matches (W4, D1). On top of that, Urawa’s staggering tally of 20 group stage goals was second to none in the competition.