Al Sadd have little margin for error as they prepare to take on defending champions Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday, with the hosts desperately seeking their first victory of the campaign at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
While Al Sadd are still searching for a breakthrough in this season’s continental competition, Al Ahli arrive in Doha looking to keep their title defence on course and move closer to an unprecedented third consecutive crown.
The Qatar Stars League side came agonisingly close to collecting all three points in their previous outing, only to concede an 84th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia’s Al Qadsiah. Although the result ended their wait for a first point of the campaign, it did little to ease the pressure on head coach Razvan Lucescu and his players.
Al Sadd, who lifted the continental crown in 2011, will need a much-improved performance against an Al Ahli side with the quality and experience to punish any lapses.
For Lucescu, today’s encounter presents an opportunity to turn a difficult start into a positive result and give his team’s campaign some much-needed momentum.
Speaking on eve of the crucial tie, the Romanian said, “Beating Al Ahli is our chance to continue our Asian journey and we are only thinking about winning. We must fight in the remaining five matches.
“We realize the importance of achieving victory and we must play the match with the highest levels of focus.”
Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham said, “Facing Al Ahli is a big challenge and we are ready to achieve our first Asian victory this season. We realize the difficulty of our situation and we are striving to correct our course.”
Victory, however, can only be achieved if Al Sadd put away their chances with just two of their eight attempts against Al Qadsiah on target. Al Sadd’s recent 4-1 win against Al Shamal in the Qatar Stars League should keep them in good stead and a good start against Al Ahli can help them turn the tide.
But it won’t be easy against an Al Ahli side that have won two on the bounce after opening their campaign with a 1-1 stalemate with Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor as Marino Pusic starts to get the balance of his team right.Al Ahli’s Dutch coach Marino Pusic said, “The match is a strong opponent but we look forward to winning and securing the three points.”
Al Ahli’s English player Ivan Toney, said, “We are aware of the difficulty of the match against a well-known team in Asia, and we will need to exert all our efforts if we are to come out with a victory.”
Another tough test for Al Gharafa
Al Gharafa can expect another tough test when they host Al Qadsiah Club in the AFC Champions League Elite match at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium on Monday.
Qatar’s Al Gharafa have yet to register points on the board while Saudi Arabia’s Al Qadsiah have the Round of 16 firmly in their sights.
Last week’s 2-1 defeat to two-time defending champions Al Ahli means Al Gharafa are on their longest ever losing streak in the continental competition.
Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins said Al Gharafa must get back on track after losing their last three matches, noting that his team has not had enough time to prepare for the encounter, despite its crucial importance in their quest to qualify for the next round.
“Al Qadisiyah is a strong team that has displayed improved performances in their recent matches, in addition to possessing high-caliber players. This necessitates maintaining focus and avoiding the mistakes made in previous games, most notably the red cards received by Ismail Bennacer against Al Hilal and Seydou Sano against Al Ahli,” Martins said.
Martins expressed his hope that the positive atmosphere within the team following their victory over Qatar SC in the eighth round of the Qatar Stars League will contribute to delivering the required performance against Al Qadisiyah.
He said Al Gharafa had performed well in their three previous matches in the continental championship, despite not securing a victory. He emphasized that the match against Al Qadsia would be different from their encounters with Al Hilal and Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia, given that each team has its own distinct style and approach to play.
A fourth defeat would well see a premature end to their hopes and Al Gharafa must maximise home ground advantage to revive their campaign. Al Qadsiah, on the other hand, are unbeaten after three matches with head coach Brendan Rodgers highly confident that his side will progress.
Victory today will take Al Qadsiah to eight points and with Al Gharafa on the ropes, former Liverpool tactician Rodgers will be expecting his players to be firing on all cylinders. Al Gharafa player Ahmed Bashir Kone stated that the team is required to give their all to get back on track in the Al Qadsia match, which demands focus from all players, showcasing their full potential and striving for the three points.
He added, “Our chances of competing are still alive, and we must recover and work harder to avoid dropping any more points, starting with our next match.”
Kone concluded by stressing the importance of achieving victory to revive their hopes of qualifying for the next round, despite some absences within the team. He added that the victory in the last round of the Qatari league against Qatar SC would be a significant morale booster before the Asian match.
