Al Rayyan coach Michael Laudrup
Qatar Stars League (QSL) giants Al Rayyan will be at full-strength for their AFC Champions League (ACL) clash against UAE side Al Wahda today.
The regional powerhouses meet in a Group A clash at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Al Rayyan coach Michael Laudrup said yesterday his side could barely wait to start the match.
"We have everybody ready and can choose a full-strength team," Laudrup said as Al Rayyan eye a qualifying spot for the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time.
"We are here to play an important game and in a situation where we can make the last-16 of the AFC Champions League for the first time in the club's history," Laudrup said.
"We know it will be a difficult game and all the games in this group, have been very tough. In the first game, we won 2-1 in Doha but it was tight game and could have been draw and expect the same tomorrow," he said.
"I think Al Wahda will do everything tomorrow and have a good team. The teams coached by Aguirre are teams that are always difficult to beat," the Dane said.
Veteran Al Rayyan striker Sebastian Soria said: "We have a difficult match and know no team is easy and against Al Wahda in Doha was an equal game but in the end they pressed us. We know it will be a difficult game."
Al Wahda coach Javier Aguirre said: "We have to win the game as we’re almost out of the competition. We had a poor competition and are disappointed of the results and never have lost home. Until the last minute of the match, we have to fight."
Aguirre added: "We have to have a miracle and win the two matches and wait for the results if we want to go further in the competition. It’s going to be difficult but my team has gained experience in these three games and in front of our fans, we want them to be proud and win the game for them."
He explained: "We are disappointed of our final results and I never speak about bad luck or referees and didn’t play really well and deserved to win more points. Maybe tomorrow we can make our fans happy."
In another game involving a QSL side, Lekhwiya will take on Al Jazira on Wednesday.
Djamel Belmadi's side is currently in top-spot in Group B with a tally of eight points from four rounds.
