Eljaish players Saad Al Shammari (second right) and Karim Ziani (number 10) celebrate a goal with team-mates during their Emir Cup clash against Al Rayyan on Saturday. Eljaish, who lost that match, host Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli at Al Rayyan Stadium today.
DOHA: Former finalists Al Ahli are boosted by the return of midfield duo Jairo Palomino and Bruno Cesar for today’s first leg against Qatar Stars League (QSL) side Eljaish in the last 16 of the AFC Champions League.
Group C winners Al Ahli, who lost last year’s final to Ulsan Hyundai, arrived in Doha on Sunday after sealing a place in the semi-finals of the King’s Cup with a 3-1 win over Al Nassr tomorrow.
And both Colombian Palomino (pictured in action against Al Gharafa) and Brazilian Bruno Cesar are available to coach Aleksander Ilic after the pair missed the 2-2 draw with UAE Pro League side Al Nasr two weeks ago, although midfielder Abdulrahim Jezawi is doubtful after missing the win over Al Nassr due to a stomach injury.
“We will be playing against a tough team who have achieved good results in the competition despite the fact that they are playing in the AFC Champions League for the first time,” Al Ahli coach Ilic said in a report posted on www.the-afc.com.
“We hope that we can get a good result before hosting the second leg which will be decisive.
“Eljaish are a good team and we must be cautious in our approach for the match. I hope that we can get positive results as we want to go far in the competition and compensate for losing the title last year.”
AFC Champions League debutants El Jaish claimed an impressive runners-up finish in Group A behind Saudi champions Al Shabab and ahead of Al Jazira and Tractorsazi Tabriz.
Razvan Lucescu’s side were edged out on penalties in the semi-finals of the Emir Cup by Al Rayyan on Saturday, but El Jaish are boosted by the return of Brazilian striker Adriano (Adriano Ferreira Martins) from injury.
“We want to have a positive result in the first leg of the match as we want to continue our successful campaign in the competition and get as far as we can,” Eljaish coach Lucescu said.
“We will be playing against one of the top teams in the continent who reached the final of the competition last year.
“The match is different than the group stage and it will be very hard for both teams, but we are confident that we will achieve a positive result,” he added.
AGENCIES
