Gwangju is the perfect villain. Even A.I. is not on Gwangju's side.

Gwangju FC will face Al Hilal in the elite quarterfinals of the 2025 AFC Champions League, which will be held on the 26th at 1:30 a.m. (Korean time) at Al Inma Bank Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

K League champion Ulsan and Pohang also failed to advance to the quarterfinals. The city-owned team Gwangju has advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time. Now that Gwangju has become the representative of Korea, it will carry the pride of the K League and embark on its conquest of Asia.

Head coach Lee Jung-hyo noted, "I want to receive the championship prize money to build a clubhouse and weight training facility." The championship prize money of the Asian Champions League is a whopping $10 million (approximately 14.5 billion won). This would fulfill coach Lee Jung-hyo's wish and still leave him with plenty of money.

It is not an easy challenge. The quarterfinal opponent Al Hilal is a prestigious team representing the Saudi league. Al Hilal (61 points) is competing for the championship in the Saudi Pro League, currently in second place behind Al Ittihad (65 points).

According to the soccer specialist site "Transfermarkt," Al Hilal's current value is a staggering €180 million (approximately 292 billion won). Gwangju spent a total expenditure of 9.66198 billion won for the 2024 season. The salary scale of the Al Hilal roster is more than 30 times that of Gwangju.

Gwangju departed for Saudi Arabia early on the 21st. FC Seoul granted them a schedule concession. Gwangju also showed great consideration by allowing all players to fly in business class.

The expectation is also unfavorable for Gwangju. "Betminds" revealed predictions calculated by A.I. According to this, Al Hilal has a 75% chance of winning. The probability of a draw is 10%, while Gwangju's chance of winning is only 15%.

The probability of both teams scoring is 51%, slightly higher than the 49% chance of a scoreless game. The probability of more than 3 goals combined for both teams is 64%. Taking this into account, it suggests that Gwangju will lose 1-2.

Of course, soccer is not calculus. Soccer is not a sport that is won just because higher-paid players play a lot. After all, it is a fair fight of 11 against 11. Gwangju's desperation is a variable that A.I. cannot calculate.

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