Sebastian Tagliabue (left) of Al Shabab challenges Al Gharafa’s Nene during their Round 16 first leg match of the AFC Champions League in Doha in this file picture of May 15, 2013. The two teams will clash in the second leg match in Riyadh today.
Doha: Qatar Stars League (QSL) clubs Eljaish and Al Gharafa will look to win their matches of the AFC Champions League to book their spot in the AFC Champions League last eight
In the Round of 16 second leg matches today Eljaish take on Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli in Sharayea, while in Riyadh, Al Gharafa face another Saudi side Al Shabab.
With his team well rested and fully focussed on the task at hand, Eljaish coach Razvan Lucescu is confident that the Qatari debutants can get the result they need when they face Al Ahli.
The Saudi club appear to have a slight edge in the tie after the teams drew 1-1 in the first leg at Al Rayyan Stadium last week as Anderson Martins got a late equaliser for the hosts after Motaz Al Musa had put Al Ahli ahead on the stroke of half-time.
Al Musa’s away goal means that Al Ahli will advance to the quarter-finals if they prevent El Jaish from scoring in the return match at the King Abdulaziz Sport Centre in Sharayea.
However, Lucescu feels that there is far more pressure on the Saudi side, who are looking to improve on their performance of last year when they reached the final, only to be beaten 3-0 by Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai.
“This is the first time that we take part in the competition and I believe reaching the Round of 16 is a big achievement for us,” said the Romanian, who arrived with his team in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
“We don’t have a lot of pressure unlike our opponents who reached the final last year and would like to put in a good performance.”
Lucescu feels that his team also have an added advantage as they had the weekend off following their semi-final exit from the Emir’s Cup on May 11 while Al Ahli were involved in a hard-fought King’s Cup semi-final against Al Shabab on Saturday.
“We will try our best to perform well tomorrow as we got good rest before the match while Al Ahli had to play an important match last Saturday which could affect their players,” he added.
“Hopefully we can take advantage of this and get a positive result.”
In addition to fatigue, Al Ahli also have to contend with injuries to key players with forwards Amad Al Hosni and Bader Al Khamis both doubtful after being taken off injured during the first leg. Al Ahli beat Al Shabab 1-0 in the first leg of their King’s Cup semi-final but coach Aleksander Ilic expects a much tougher outing for his side in today’s second leg.
“The match is very hard and we are currently in the toughest stage,” said the Serbian.
“We respect Eljaish who are a good team and I hope that we can do well and put in a strong performance against them in such a difficult match
“We will try our best to overcome the circumstances that hit us before the match and hopefully we have a good performance. I promise our fans that we will do our best in order to advance to the next round of the competition.”
Meanwhile, Al Shabab coach Michel Preud’homme remains wary of his team’s Round of 16 opponents Al Gharafa but he is confident that his players can get the job done against the Qatari club today and advance to the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League.
The Saudi club are in good shape to reach the last eight for the first time since 2010 after coming from a goal down to beat Al Gharafa 2-1 in Doha last week.
With the two away goals in hand, they will progress if they avoid losing and conceding more than two goals at the King Fahd International Stadium.
But despite his side’s strong position, Preud’homme is keen to guard against complacency ahead of the return match.
“In the first leg we enjoyed a good performance and got a great result,” said the Belgian, who saw his side beaten 1-0 in the first leg of their King’s Cup semi-final against Al Ahli last Saturday.
“But in football everything is possible so we should respect our opponents and give our best in the match tomorrow if we want to advance.
The Peninsula
