Familiar foes and faces for Selangor in tough AFC Champions League 2 group
Drawn into Group G, Selangor will face Indonesian Liga Satu champions Persib Bandung, Singapore Premier League winners and last season's ACL2 runners-up Lions City Sailors, and Thai League contenders Bangkok United.
For coach Katsuhito Kinoshi, the group presents both challenges and opportunities.
"Our opponents are close to our country, so in terms of travel and conditioning, it's ideal," said the Japanese tactician.
"All three teams have history, so we must be in good shape. It doesn't matter who the opponent is – what matters is who we are and how we play. We want to win every game, take it match by match, and reach the knockout stages."
There will be familiar faces across the pitch.
Persib coach Bojan Hodak has squared off against Selangor countless times during his spells in Malaysia, while his Argentinian playmaker Luciano Guaycochea captained Perak and has faced the Klang Valley side before.
The reunion extends to Safuwan Baharuddin, Selangor's former skipper, who will line up for Lions City Sailors while on loan from the Red Giants.
And Kinoshi is already wary of the Singaporean champions' marquee striker Anderson Lopes, the J1 League's top scorer last season.
"I've watched him many times - he's a quality player. If a club have someone like that, it shows they're serious about reaching the next stage," Kinoshi added.
Last season, Selangor fell short in the group stage, as Jeonbuk Hyundai and Muangthong United advanced.
This year, they aim to write a different story.
Meanwhile, Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) have been drawn into one of the toughest groups in the AFC Champions League Elite 2025-26 East Zone League Stage.
The Southern Tigers will welcome Shanghai Port and Shanghai Shenhua from China, Japanese powerhouse Vissel Kobe, and J-League surprise package Machida Zelvia to the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri.
Their away fixtures will be equally testing, with trips to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Japan, Chengdu Rongcheng in China, Thai champions Buriram United, and A-League side Melbourne City.
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