Editor’s Matchday 6 Preview & Tips  

The second half of the AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 league stage is well underway which means it’s time for our experts to give you a helping hand in making your Match Prediction picks ahead of Matchday 6.  

Best Pick: West  

Al Ain to beat Pakhtakor  

Two winless teams cross paths on Matchday 6 as Pakhtakor welcome AFC Champions League 2023/24 champs Al Ain.  

But although the visitors have yet to pick up a win, don’t let that record fool you. Al Ain have been dealt a difficult hand facing Saudi Arabia’s Big Three – Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ahli – leading up to their visit to Uzbekistan. Yes, the Emirati side have come out on the losing end, but they boast a respectable attacking return, having scored in all five matches to date with nine goals in total.  

The same can’t be said for the hosts from Uzbekistan, as they have the joint lowest-scoring record in the tournament with just one goal scored. Albeit a sluggish start to the AFC Champions League Elite 2024/25, it feels like now or never for Al Ain to kick start their campaign.  

Given the aforementioned reasons, we lean towards Al Ain to clinch their first win.  

Best Pick: East 

Johor Darul Ta’zim to beat Buriram  

Another matchday, another prediction for Johor Darul Ta’zim to take care of business at home. 

Although JDT are still winless on the road this season, their indestructible home record remains intact. The Southern Tigers boast an undefeated home record stretching over a year now. Just ask Ulsan HD FC how difficult it is to play there!  

On the flip side, Buriram have conceded eight goals in their last two games, including three in the space of 15 minutes last time out at home to against Kawasaki Frontale. If there’s a good time to catch Buriram out of tune, this might be it.  

With the likes Arif Aiman, Jorge Obregon, Bergson and Heberty Fernandes looking to bounce back from an away defeat in China PR against Shandong Taishan, we suggest you hop on the JDT bandwagon for this one.