Two Champions League Two return legs where the first meeting already showed the shape. Seoul took Viettel apart nine days ago, and Viettel have only got weaker since. Arkadag and Gol Gohar played out a goalless first leg in which Gol Gohar had most of the ball and did nothing with it. In both matches the weaker attack has very few ways to score.
Seoul vs Viettel. In the first leg Seoul had 13 shots, 9 on target and a four-goal lead by half time. Anderson's runs in behind, Babec's deliveries and Hwang Do-yoon's arrivals from midfield all hurt a Viettel back line that had no answer. Since then Viettel have sacked Popov, handed the team to their goalkeeper coach and lost again in the league, and the local press call the squad seriously depleted. Their only route is crosses toward Ribamar and set pieces, which gave them two shots on target against Seoul. Seoul's attacking core barely played at the weekend. The coach said rotation will stay within appropriate limits, and the newly crowned champions need the win and goal difference to go through. That's why I'm siding with Seoul to win comfortably.
Arkadag vs Gol Gohar. Gol Gohar have no goals and one shot on target in three group games. That includes 90 minutes against this Arkadag block with 62% of the ball and nothing on target, and they failed to score in eight of their last ten overall. Arkadag defend in a 5-4-1 with two strong centre-backs in the air and attack through Sapargulyyev's crosses and set pieces. Gol Gohar now arrive without starting centre-back Zahedi and without the attacking substitutes they used to chase the first leg, several of them refused visas, after a long overland trip. Their chase late in the match will be thinner, and it opens space for Arkadag to counter. That's why I expect Gol Gohar to stay blank, whether Arkadag win or it ends level and goalless again.
