History shows Al-Hilal should relish underdog status in Japan
In the days running up to the second leg of the 2004 Asian Champions League final, a van drove around the streets of the South Korean city of Seongnam with a loudspeaker telling locals to get down to the stadium to watch their team win the continental title. The confidence was understandable. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma had beaten Al-Ittihad 3-1 in Jeddah a few days earlier and the return match was seen as a foregone conclusion by most fans and observers. The fact that the early December evening was freezing was seen as another reason why the Saudi side would not be able to handle the occasion.
