The draw for the AFC Champions League Eastern Region quarter-finals on Saturday ended with Japan’s Vissel Kobe vs South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, while Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds will play Thailand’s Pathum United.

Two matches will be played in Saitama, Japan, with matches one on one.

Jeonbuk Hyundai, a two-time title holder in 2006 and 2016, beat compatriot Daegu 2-1 on its last legs after two extra games on Thursday in the round of 16, while Japan’s Vissel Kobe shocked compatriot Yokohama Marinos by 3 :2, compensating for its local reduction.

“We are going to face a great team from South Korea,” said Vissel Kobe coach Takayuki Yoshida, who made his semi-final debut in 2020.

For his part, Jeonbuk coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized that at this stage the teams are on the same level: “Now we are focusing on the mental and physical recovery of the players, and then we will prepare for a good match against Vissel Kobe on Monday. Jeonbuk’s coach Kim Sang-sik said.

“There is a traditional competition with Japanese clubs, so we will do our best to win.”

In the second match, the Japanese team “Urawa Red Diamonds”, the champion of 2007 and 2017, who defeated the Malaysian “Johor Darul Tazeem” with a score of 5: 0, will play with the Thai “Pathum United”, which for the first time in its history reached the quarter-finals, also beating Kechi from Hong Kong 4-0.

The match will be special for Spanish Urava manager Ricardo Rodríguez, who managed Pathum United in 2015. “I have good memories with them and this match will be special for me.”

On the other hand, Pathum United manager Makoto Teguramori expressed his satisfaction with the draw: “We are honored to play against them. During the match, we will learn about our level of development as a team and our ability to compete with one of the best clubs in Asia.”

It is noteworthy that the Western matches will be held in February 2023, and the Saudi “Al-Hilal” will play with “Al-Ahli” from the UAE, the Saudi youth – with the Uzbek “Nasaf”, the Qatari “Al-Duhail” – with his compatriot Al-Rayyan . and Saudi Al-Faisali with Iranian Folad Khuzestan.

Saudi Al-Hilal won the title for the fourth time in their history (a record), defeating South Korea’s Pohang Steelers 2-0 last November in Riyadh.