Al Gharafa are hoping their latest acquisitions Wesley Sneijder and Mehdi Taremi can fire them to a spot in the group stage of this year’s AFC Champions League when they take on Uzbek giants Pakhtakor in their West Zone playoff at the Thani bin Jassim Stadium tonight. The match begins at 8pm.
The Cheetahs reached the quarter-finals of the lucrative continental tournament in 2010, but since 2012 have not even qualified for the event much to the disappointment of their fans.
They finished fifth in the Qatar Stars League last season and their latest match last week also left them grappling with a few home truths after they suffered a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Al Sadd.
It was their fifth defeat in 14 matches in the league so far, leaving them with a great deal of catching up to do if they are to finish in the top four and challenge the best in the Cup events.
Their immediate concern, however, is how to tackle Pakhtakor, who have appeared in all but two editions of the Champions League ever since it was re-launched in its current format in 2002-03.
“Pakhtakor are a top side but we are fully focused on our job, which is to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League, said their Turkish coach Bulent Uygun who replaced Frenchman Jean Fernandez barely two months ago.
Fernandez himself lasted only a few months after he took over from Pedro Caixinha who moved to Scotland to manage the Rangers.
Uygun was not concerned about what happened in the League against Al Sadd last week. “Those were different circumstances. We have analysed our mistakes and have taken corrective measures,” he added.
Uygun said Gharafa would aim to repeat their 2010 feat when they qualified for the quarter-finals at Pakhtakor’s expense.
“Of course, our ambition remains the same. Al Gharafa have great pedigree. We have won several titles in the past before losing our way a bit, but with the new signings we have a balanced side,” the Turk claimed.
Almahdi Ali, who also attended the press conference, said the team were briefed on the strengths of the Uzbek giants.
“We know how they play and we are well equipped to deal with them,” said Ali, who was with the Al Sadd squad when they won the Champions League in 2011.
Pakhtakor have at the helm Shota Arveladze, who was one of Georgia’s top footballers, holding the record of the nation’s all-time top goal scorer. As a manager, he spent most of his career in Turkey, before joining Pakhtakor in June 2017.
The club have lost their top goal scorer from last season, Igor Sergeev, who joined Al Dhafra in the UAE Pro League. Brazilian striker Tiago Bezerra will be tasked with finding the goals that can propel Pakhtakor through to the next stage.
Arveladze also predicted a tough match.
“Both teams are equally determined to qualify for the group stage and I expect them to be at their best,” he said.
But he expressed displeasure over the one-game playoff.
“We are not here to speak about this. Suffice is to say that both teams will be under pressure because of that. I agree with the general opinion that one game does not do justice to the teams participating in this stage of the competition.”
He also congratulated the Uzbek U23 side for winning the Asian Championship last week in China.
“I think this win will have a great impact on football in Uzbekistan. We hope to build on it and become a force to be reckoned with.”