We have reached the second leg in the final of the 2023/24 AFC Champions League and it has been a thrilling competition. There is little to choose between the teams ahead of this crucial match and the first leg ended 2-1 to Yokohama F. Marinos.
It was Al Ain who opened the scoring in the 12th minute and they led 1-0 at halftime. Into the second half and Yokohama F. Marinos scored the equaliser in the 72nd minute and netted the winner 12 minutes later.
The second leg of the AFC Champions League final between Al Ain and Yokohama F. Marinos will be played at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on the 25th of May.
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 🌏 ⚽️ @alainfcae 🆚 @prompt_fmarinos 🏟️ @HBZstadium 🗓️ Saturday 25-05-2024 ⏳ 20:00 🏆 The Final Second Leg 🎟️ https://t.co/VKVNVPJWk0 #alainclub #ACL pic.twitter.com/J4SbyPgVPj— Al Ain FC (@alainfcae_en) May 19, 2024
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 🌏 ⚽️ @alainfcae 🆚 @prompt_fmarinos 🏟️ @HBZstadium 🗓️ Saturday 25-05-2024 ⏳ 20:00 🏆 The Final Second Leg 🎟️ https://t.co/VKVNVPJWk0 #alainclub #ACL pic.twitter.com/J4SbyPgVPj
Al Ain come into the game on the back of a 2-0 win at Al Wahda in the UAE Pro League. Al Ain opened the scoring in the 23rd minute to lead 1-0 at the interval. Into the second half and Al Ain doubled their advantage in the 69th minute to seal maximum points.
The win over Al Wahda was the first victory in 3 fixtures in all competitions for Al Ain. There have been defeats against Kalba at home in the UAE Pro League and Yokohama F. Marinos in the first leg of the AFC Champions League final.
Statistics show Al Ain have not lost in 5 of their last 6 home games in the Asian Champions League. They have won each of their last 3 home matches in the competition and have seen both teams score in 7 of their 8 most recent AFC Champions League fixtures on home soil.
Yokohama F. Marinos travel to the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium having been held to a 1-1 draw at FC Tokyo in the J1 League last weekend. It was Yokohama F. Marinos who took the lead in the 25th minute but they could not hold on and conceded the equaliser in the 55th minute.
The draw with FC Tokyo means Yokohama F. Marinos have won only 1 of their last 6 fixtures in all competitions. The victory came over Al Ain in the first leg of this AFC Champions League final and there have been draws with Cerezo Osaka away plus Júbilo Iwata at home in J1 League.
Trends show Yokohama F. Marinos are undefeated in 7 of their 8 most recent Asian Champions League games. They are undefeated in 4 of their last 6 encounters on the road in the competition and have seen both teams score in 3 of their last 5 away AFC Champions League matches.
Looking ahead to the team news and Al Ain will be looking towards Soufiane Rahimi for goals. The Moroccan has 11 goals to his name in the competition this season, meaning he will finish as the top scorer.
Yokohama F. Marinos have Brazilian forward Anderson Lopes in their ranks and there will be significant threat out wide from Elber and Yan Matheus.
This is the final time the AFC Champions League will be played in the current format and the first team to win it in this format was Al Ain. So, Al Ain could become the first and final winners of this competition but our algorithm points towards a different outcome.
Our prediction is for both teams to score, over 2.5 goals, and Yokohama F. Marinos to win the match and lift the trophy.