AFC Champions League: Group Stage Competitions Starts Thursday

Kuala Lumpur, April 06 (QNA) - The group stage competitions of the 2022 AFC Champions League will open in its first round on Thursday, with four matches for the third and fourth groups, the competitions will continue Friday with six other matches, most notably between the Saudi Al Hilal, the defending champion, and the UAE's Sharjah. The group stage competitions for the Western region will be held in the gathering system in Saudi Arabia during April 7 to 27, Qatars Al Gharafa will face Foolad Khouzestan of Iran at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, and Ahal FC of Turkmenistan will play Shabab Al Ahli of UAE in Group C encounter at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Thursday. For group D, Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor will face Iranian counterpart Sepahan, and Qatar's Al Duhail will face Saudi Arabia's Al Taawoun, this group appears strong considering the presence of distinguished teams such as Al Duhail, the Qatari league runner-up and the Amir Cup champion, Sepahan, currently third in the Iranian league, and Pakhtakor, the league leader in Uzbekistan. (QNA)