Tuesday night's encounter between Al-Ain and Al-Hilal at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium will be the main event of matchday three of the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite.
With one point from two games, the hosts will start this game in 10th place in Group B, while the visitors are atop the table with a perfect record.
The reigning champions of the AFC Champions League, Al-Ain, are having a difficult start to the season. They are presently eight points behind league leaders Sharjah in sixth position in the UAE Pro League.
Before losing badly to Al Gharafa 4-2 at the beginning of this month, Al Zaeem played out a disappointing 1-1 draw against Al Sadd in their opening encounter in this league.
After that defeat, Hernan Crespo's team shocked everyone by losing 2-1 at home to Al Wahda before the international break. This was the first time the team has lost back-to-back games since May.
The club returned from international service with a decisive 4-0 victory over Hatta last week, securing their place in the President's Cup quarterfinal, suggesting that the two-week break helped them resolve some of their problems.
Even though they haven't played well this season, Al-Ain has a strong home record at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, winning four and drawing one of their six games there. Their one loss comes to Al Wahda.
Since this opponent ended Al-Hilal's Champions League campaign in the semi-finals last season, this game will be viewed as an opportunity for them to make amends.
Although they won the rematch 2-1 at the Kingdom Arena a week later, the Blue Waves' 4-2 loss at this location in the first leg was insufficient to overcome the tie's 5-4 aggregate disadvantage.
Jorge Jesus's team is in perfect condition going into the UAE, having won all 12 of their games this season in all competitions and taking home a trophy after defeating rivals Al-Nassr in the Saudi Super Cup.
Al-Za'eem defeated Al Rayyan 3-1 and thrashed Al Shorta 5-1 in the last two rounds. They are currently one of just three teams, along with Gwangju and Al Ahli, another PIF-owned Pro League team, that have won both of their prior games in this league.
Al-Hilal defeated Al Fayha 3-0 in their domestic league on the weekend. They have already scored 33 goals this season and have only lost two of their 12 games to two goals or more.
