Al Sadd head coach Xavi Hernandez (right) and Al Sadd midfielder Guillerme Torres attend a pre-match press conference, yesterday.
Qatar football giants Al Sadd and Al Duhail will be seeking victories as they return to action today in their respective return legs at the AFC Champions League group stage. Al Sadd will take on UAE’s Al Ain, against whom they played a thrilling 3-3 draw on their home turf while reigning QNB Stars League champions Al Duhail will square off with Sharjah, hoping to score second consecutive win over theUAE's side. Xavi Hernandez-coached Al Sadd dropped two points due to a draw on Tuesday, but they are still placed well to advance to the Round of 16.
The Wolves are second with 5 points behind Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr (7 points) in Group D. A win today could put them within a point of the knockout stage with two games still to play, should Al Nassr repeat their win over Sepahan later tonight. “We need three points to go to the next stage. We are in a crucial phase now. We played well in the last game but we need to finish off the chances in front of goal, and not make mistakes that lead to conceding goals,” Xavi told a pre-match press conference yesterday. “We have a huge desire to win. I enjoy this sort of pressure that’s on the team and the players like it as well,” he added.
Al-Ain FC coach Pedro Emanuel, whose team earned their first point in the event on Tuesday, hoped his team will keep their chances alive for the next stage. “Expectations are much higher after the first game, but we have to be realistic and acknowledge the fact that our chances of progression are slim. Nonetheless, we will keep fighting till the end,” said Emanuel. At the Education City Stadium today, Al Duhail will be eyeing their second consecutive victory against Sharjah following their 2-1 victory on Tuesday. The Red Knights, who will see Mohammed Muntari’s return from injury, are second in Group C with 6 points, with Al Taawoun leading the group on goal difference. Iran’s Persepolis (four points) and Sharjah (one point) are third and fourth respectively.
Al Duhail coach Walid Regragui said Sharjah will pose a big challenge to his side to stay alive in event. “The match is going to be difficult as Sharjah need wins to advance. We will give our best to win the match,” Regragui said yesterday before confirming Muntari’s return. “Mohamed Muntari will be available, but we will wait for Karim Boudiaf and Edmilson to recover completely,” he said. Sharjah midfielder Khalid Bawazir said his team played well in the previous game, hoping to bounce back from defeat. “We got a negative result against Al Duhail, but we hope to have benefited from our mistakes and that we can make amends and get a better result against Al Duhail to qualify to the next round,” he said.
