Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], August 24 : Indian Super League (ISL) side Mumbai City FC have been drawn alongside Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, Iran’s Nassaji Mazandaran and Uzbekistan’s PFC Navbahor Namangan in Group D of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League 2023-24 after the draw for the continental competition took place in the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Mumbai City FC are set to play in Asia's premier club competition for the second successive season. They emerged winners in the ISL League Stage during the 2022-23 season and beat Jamshedpur FC in the Club playoffs to confirm their place in the AFC Champions League.
Al Hilah are the strongest team in Group D, having reached the finals of the previous edition. They have won the AFC Champions League on four occasions, more than any other club, as per a press release from ISL.
They have further bolstered their squad for the upcoming season with some big-name signings including Neymar Jr, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Yassine Bounou and Aleksandar Mitrovic.
FC Nassaji Mazandaran will be making their debut in the competition alongside Navbahor. Mazandaran qualified for the AFC Champions League by winning the Hazfi Cup during the 2021-22 season, which was the club’s first-ever trophy.
Navbahor Namangan finished as runners-up of the 2022 Uzbekistan Super League. They beat Qatari side Al Wakrah in their playoff clash to book their place in the competition.
The matches in the AFC Champions League will be played on a home-and-away format on a round-robin basis, with the group winners and three best runners-up teams across five west zone groups advancing for the Round of 16.
Mumbai City FC will play their home games at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune. Des Buckingham's side made history in the AFC Champions League last season, finishing second in their group with seven points, including two wins.
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