Desperate Al Sadd to miss Afif against Jordan’s Al Faisaly

Twice champions Al Sadd and Jordan’s Al Faisaly will be equally desperate for a win when they meet in Group B of the AFC Champions League 2023-24 at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium today at 9pm.Al Sadd, the 2011 AFC Champions League winners, have so far logged one point and need a big result against the Jordanian side while hoping the result between the other two teams would also be favourable.In contrast, debutants Al Faisaly have found the step up to the AFC Champions League difficult so far with no points to show after two matches.They produced battling performances against FC Nasaf of Uzbekistan and Sharjah FC of UAE but were on the receiving end of 1-0 defeats in both matches and will target their first points against Al Sadd. FC Nasaf lead the group standings with six points while Sharjah have four points from two games each so far.Al Sadd’s Portuguese coach Bruno Miguel would aim for The Wolves to unleash their top game and achieve a victory.He would however miss the services of star winger Akram Afif as he was sent off in the last match against FC Nasaf.Addressing the media on the eve of the match, Miguel said, "We expect the match to be a very difficult one but we will work to achieve a win and get the three points.”Regarding the team not playing in the last round of the Expo Stars League and getting a rest, he said: The players did not get a rest after the (FC) Nasaf match because they were with the national team, and I hope that the team will perform well in the match.He said: "Al Faisaly are an organised and strong team in terms of defence. They will play with counter-attacks. We have to play well in order to achieve victory.”Regarding the absence of Afif, he said: "It is true that we are stronger with the presence of all the players, and Afif is of course a special player but Al Sadd does not depend on just one player. We work as a team and I hope that the team will play well and achieve what we set out to achieve, which is a win.”Meanwhile, Al Faisaly are experiencing a new phase following the appointment of their former player Ahmed Hayel as the team’s new coach, succeeding Ghazi al-Gharairi.Sharjah FC will host FC Nasaf in a top-of-the-table Group B clash knowing they can’t afford defeat.Victory for Nasaf at the Sharjah Stadium will see the Uzbekistan side opening a five-point lead going into the reverse fixtures, which will jeopardise Sharjah’s hopes of advancing to the Round of 16.Having opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Qatar’s Al Sadd SC, UAE Pro League side Sharjah defeated Jordan’s Al Faisaly 1-0. With only the group winners assured of advancing to the Round of 16, Sharjah will be desperate for the three points which will take them above Nasaf.While goals have been hard to come by for Sharjah, Nasaf have hit the ground running and will fancy their chances of another three points despite playing away.Their opening 1-0 win over Al Faisaly was followed by a hugely impressive 3-1 victory over Al Sadd and Sharjah can expect fired up opponents today.