AFC/Riyadh


Former AFC Player of the Year Khalfan Ibrahim will miss Al Sadd’s table-topping clash with Al Hilal in Group C today after the Qatari star failed to recover from injury.
Ibrahim, who was named Asia’s best player in 2006 and was nominated for the award last year, was ruled out of Al Sadd’s 3-1 loss to El Jaish in the semi-finals of the Qatar Cup at the end of last month with a pelvis injury and the 27-year-old has yet to return to action.
The Qatar international, who scored the winner when the teams met in Doha on Matchday Two joins defender Ibrahim Majed and Saleh al-Yazidi on the sidelines, with Majed ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a foot injury.
Al Sadd and Al Hilal are level at the top
of Group C and both have secured their places in the Round of 16, leaving the two teams fighting over top spot in the final group match in a rematch of last year’s quarter-final clash won over two legs by the Saudi club.
“The match tomorrow will be to determine the winners of the group,” said Al Sadd coach Lhoussanine Ammouta. “We will try our best to have a good performance in the match and try our best to avoid any injuries or suspensions before the next match.
“We will try our best to win the group in order to play the return leg of the Round of 16 match at home. Al Hilal are a good side and they have a big fan base but the fans don’t play on the pitch and we will be playing against their 11 players.”
Al Hilal need to win to climb above Al Sadd after losing in Doha and they will have to do so without the reigning AFC Player of the Year Nassir al-Shamrani, who is suspended, as well as former Celtic striker Georgios Samaras and midfielder Abdulazizi al-Dawsari, both of whom are injured.
“I’m satisfied after qualifying early to the knockout stage of the competition which was one of our targets,” said coach Giorgos Donis, who saw his team qualify for the final of the King’s Cup of Champions on Friday with a 3-1 win over Al Faisaly.
“We are ready to give our best in order to win and we have a great fighting spirit to get the three points from the match.
“We will be missing several players tomorrow and their absence will affect us. But I believe that we have good players and solutions in order to win the match, get the three points and avenge our defeat against Al Sadd.”