Igor Angulo (Mumbai City, India). The Bilbao striker made his debut with the Athletic Club first team under the guidance of Jupp Heynckes and played a match in the former UEFA Cup with the Basques in 2004. He also played in the Europa League preliminary phase with Górnik Zabrze, where he is legend, but it won’t be until this season, at the age of 38, when he makes his debut in a top continental competition. Igor Angulo will play his first minutes in the Asian Champions League with Mumbai City, a club with which he scored 10 goals in 19 games in the last edition of the Indian Super League. In Asia they will face Al Jazira (Arab Emirates) led by Manuel Almunia (goalkeeper coach), Al Shabab (Saudi Arabia) led by Banega or N’Diaye and Al Quwa Al Jawiya from Iraq.
Ibai Gomez (Foolad FC, Iran). The Bilbao midfielder will wear shorts again 10 months after terminating his contract with Athletic Club and will do so to play the Asian Champions League with Foolad, who managed to qualify for the top continental competition after winning the Cup. In an interview in AS, Ibai confessed that the objective is “to be first in the group”, for which they will have to overcome Al Gharafa (Qatar), Ahal (Turkmenistan) and Al Ahli Shabab (United Arab Emirates). Foolad is directed by former Osasuna player Javad Nekounam, who has two physical trainers from Pamplona on his staff: Josu Sesma and Daniel Lanz.
Álvaro Medrán (Al Taawoun, Saudi Arabia). The Andalusian midfielder has been playing for Al Taawoun since last January, who finished third in the last edition of the Saudi Professional League and achieved a place in the AFC Champions League after eliminating Syrian Al Jaish on penalties in the qualifying round. Medrán, who was instrumental in qualifying by converting the last penalty of the shootout, scored the goal with which Buraidah’s men defeated Al Duhail 1-2 on the first day of the tournament. A great result for Al Taawoun, who are just one point above the relegation zone in the league. In addition to Al Duhail, Medrán shares a group with Sepahan (Iran) and Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan).
Santi Cazorla (Al Sadd, Qatar). The Spaniard will play his third edition of the AFC Champions League with the aim of fighting for the title, something that the Qataris did not achieve in either of the two previous editions, when the bench was occupied by Xavi Hernández. After winning the Qatar Stars League without conceding any defeat and being eliminated by Al Duhail in the semifinals of the Emir Cup, the Doha team, now led by fellow Spaniard Javi Gracia, have had a month to prepare for the matches against Nasaf Qarshi ( Uzbekistan), Al Faisaly (Saudi Arabia) and Al Wehdat (Jordan). Cazorla, who scored eight goals and provided six assists in the league this season, threatens to be one of the great figures in the Asian Champions League.
Andrés Túñez and Ernesto Amantegui (Pathum United, Thailand). The Thai team will play the AFC Champions League for the second time in its history. Last season they failed to get past the group stage, where this course they will face Jeonnam (South Korea), Melbourne City (Australia) and United City (Philippines). The excellent Andrés Túñez, who will play the competition for the sixth time in his career, will be his great bastion in defense. Ernesto Amantegui, a Sporting youth squad of Thai descent, will be one of his companions in the rearguard.
Natxo Insa, Carlie De Murga and Bienve Marañón (Johor FC). The South East Asian giant will play in the AFC Champions League for the fourth consecutive season, although they still do not know what it is like to get out of the group stage. They will try this course with the help of three Spanish footballers: Natxo Insa, who joined the team in 2017 and has become one of its best midfielders, and two new additions such as Carlie De Murga and Bienvenido Marañón. As a curious fact, Johor has three Spaniards in its ranks and all three are international, although none with Spain: Insa played with Malaysia and both De Murga and Bienve are regulars in the Philippines calls. They will seek to surprise in the Champions League, since, although they will play all the games at home, they were drawn in one of the most complicated groups. They will face Guangzhou (China), Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) and Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea).
Andres Iniesta and Bojan Krkic (Vissel Kobe). The Japanese team will travel to Thailand, where they will play all the games of the group stage, after a disastrous start to the season in which they have not achieved any victory in the first nine days of the J-League. He will do so with Andrés Iniesta and Bojan Krkic as two of his great reasons to believe and with the arrival of Miguel Ángel Lotina on the bench as an opportunity to change course. Iniesta will dispute his second Asian Champions. In the first Vissel Kobe reached the semi-finals, a round in which Iniesta was not present after getting injured in the quarters. Bojan, meanwhile, will debut in the top Asian competition. Kobe could have had three Spaniards, but Sergi Samper was seriously injured and will not be available for Lotina. The Japanese will face Shanghai Port (China), Kitchee (Hong Kong) and Chiangrai United (Thailand) for a place in the round of 16.
Manu Gavilán and Raúl Baena (Kitchee). The Hong Kong champions return to the top continental competition with the difficult task of getting out of the group stage. Something complicated considering that they will face Iniesta’s Vissel Kobe or Oscar’s Shanghai Port. Betis academy player Manu Gavilán and Raúl Baena, formerly of Rayo or Espanyol, will be two of the great bastions of Kitchee, who last season caused a surprise by defeating Guangzhou, the Chinese champion twice, and staying out of the round of 16 due to goal difference.
Spain will provide prestigious coaches
The Spanish flavor of the AFC Champions League will not only be the responsibility of the players, as the top Asian competition will also have three Spanish coaches. The aforementioned Javi Gracia, in charge of Al Sadd since December of last year, will seek to lead the Qataris to a throne they have not occupied since 2011. Lotina, for his part, will seek to radically change the course of Vissel Kobe, which in its only participation in the AFC Champions League he reached the semi-finals. Ricardo Rodríguez will be at the helm of Urawa Red Diamonds, a club that caused a surprise by winning the Emperor’s Cup in Japan and that will seek to overcome Shandong Taishan (China), Lion City (Singapore) and Daegu (South Korea) to achieve a placed in the round of 16. It should be remembered that only the first of each group and the six best seconds go through to the round of 16: three from the east and another three from the west.