LIVERPOOL legend Dirk Kuyt raised an eyebrow after naming his all-time best lineup of former teammates.
There were a number of notable absences as well as unexpected inclusions in the Dutchman's squad.
The perfect lineup of former teammate Dirk Kuyt.
The perfect lineup of former teammate Dirk Kuyt.
Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard celebrate a goal for Liverpool. Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard celebrate a goal for Liverpool.
Kuyt spent six years with the Anfield team and finished second in the Champions League during his time there.
The striker revealed the squad and had several tall players eliminated.
The first big incident was in goal when Edwin Van der Sar lost to Pepe Reina.
The Dutch goalkeeper had a fantastic career winning the Champions League and Premier League during his time at Manchester United. Though it's easy to see why Kuyt picked Reina after playing 270 games with the Spaniard.
Javier Mascherano is the next notable absence as the former Liverpool and Barcelona man leaves Xabi Alonso in midfield in a move that could go either way.
Dirk Kuyt and Robin Van Persie celebrate a goal for the Netherlands.
Dirk Kuyt and Robin Van Persie celebrate a goal for the Netherlands.
There's no room for Martin Skrtel in the final three as the Slovakian lacks Jamie Carragher and Daniel Agger. Further on, Rafael van der Vaart lost to Dutch teammate Wesley Sneijder at number 10, who later starred as Inter Milan won the treble and the Netherlands reached the 2010 World Cup final.
Kuyt even dropped out of the squad with an attack consisting of Luis Suarez, Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie.
One big shock is that Rafael Benitez - Kuyt's coach for most of his time at Liverpool - misses national team coach Louis Van Gaal.
And a surprise addition was former Chelsea and Liverpool player Raul Meireles, who was benched with Fernando Torres and Van der Sar.
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Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal will continue his quest to win the Asian Champions League for the fifth time on Monday, just over a week after finishing second to Real Madrid at the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Riyadh-based team, which won their fourth Asian championship in 2021, lost 5-3 to European champions Morocco last Sunday and headed to Doha this week where the mirror is. The familiar face of Shabab Al Ahli coach Leonardo Jardim will host Al Hilal. player.
It was the Portuguese coach who led the club to their record fourth title in 2021 with a win over South Korea's Pohang Steelers, only for the former Monaco strategist to leave Al Hilal three months later. .
He has since signed with Dubai-based Shabab Al Ahli and is currently sitting between Al Hilal and a place in the quarterfinals as the Saudi Arabian club look to extend their dominance in the league. continental fight.
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Currently managed by Argentinian Ramon Diaz, Al Hilal will be one of eight teams from West and Central Asia competing for a place in the final, where they will face Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds over two legs on Sunday. April 29 and May 6. Team Japan advanced to the knockout stages of the eastern half of the continent in August in a campaign that has been disrupted by COVID-19 and Qatar's hosting of the World Cup in November and December.
Al Hilal is one of three Saudi Arabian teams traveling to Qatar for the knockout round, with the defending champions alongside Al Shabab and Al Faisaly in the round of 16.
Al Faisaly also plays on Monday when he meets Iran's Foolad, one of only two of the country's clubs to feature in this year's competition after Tehran giants Persepolis and Esteghlal were banned from participating. due to licensing issues.
On Sunday, Al Shabab, which includes former Argentinian midfielder Ever Banega, will try to prevent Uzbekistan's Nasaf Qarshi from reaching the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Al Duhail will head into the encounter with fellow Qataris Al Rayyan as favorites to qualify as the leader of the Qatar Stars League. Hernan Crespo's side topped the domestic group by four points, four points ahead of nearest rival Al Arabi, while Al Rayyan dropped to ninth in a 12-team group, 21 points behind the leader.
The teams meet in the round of 16 on Sunday and Monday in Qatar, with the quarter-final draw taking place on Tuesday.
The final eight matches will take place on Thursday and the semi-finals will be on February 26, with the winner going into the two-leg final against Urawa.
Reporting by Michael Church in Hong Kong; Editing by Stephen Coates
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