The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar - Qatari football giants Al Duhail will be aiming to make the most of playing on home soil today when they face Al Ain of the UAE in a AFC Champions League (ACL) clash.
A repeat of last year’s Round-of-16 clash, the Group C battle will take place in Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, the home turf of the Red Knights with kick off set for 6.30pm.
The former Qatari champions will be looking to hit back after their domestic title hopes were dented on Thursday, following their disappointing loss to Al Kharaitiyat and Al Sadd’s magnificent 7-2 win against Al Ahli.
In last year’s edition of the continental tournament, Al Duhail overpowered Al Ain twice, recording an aggregate 8-3 victory, with the second leg in Doha ending 4-1.
Al Duhail are currently sitting at the second spot in Group C with three points, behind Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal (six).
They have defeated Iran’s Esteghlal 3-0 in the first round at home before going down to Al Hilal 1-3 in Riyadh. A victory against the visiting Al Ain today will enhance Al Duhail’s chances of reaching the knockout stage.
Coach Rui Faria’s men will be boasted by the return of 2019 AFC Asian Cup Most Valuable Player and top scorer Almoez Ali who had missed the first two games due to injury concerns.
Al Duhail have the services of their Moroccan goal machine Youssed El Arabi who shared the second spot in the top-scorers’ list last year in the ACL (9 goals).
Japanese international Shoya Nakajima, Moroccan star Mehdi Benatia, Qatari internationals Mohammed Moosa, Bassam Al Rawi and Karim Boudiaf are some of the top guns in their arsenal and Al Duhail will be looking to fire on all cylinders in their own backyard today.
Ahead of today’s match, Al Duhail team manager Ismael Ahmed said that the team has put aside their loss in the QSL and will focus on the game ahead.
“We have to enter the Al Ain game with more focus in order to achieve victory in this match,” Ahmed said yesterday. “We are looking forward to see our fans at the match to support our players,” he said.
Meanwhile, the newly crowned QSL Champions Al Sadd will be looking to secure their second win in the group stage tomorrow.
In a Group D fixture, the former ACL champions and last year’s semi-finalists, Al Sadd meet Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in Uzbek capital Tashkent. The match will kick-off at 5:00pm Qatar time at the Pakhtakor Central Stadium.
Al Sadd lifted their record-extending 14th Qatar league crown last week with one round of action remaining, taking an unassailable lead over closest challengers Al Duhail. The Wolves, who are currently third in the standings, lost their opening match against Saudi’s Al Ahli 2-0 before beating Iran’s Persepolis 1-0.
In another Group stage fixture tomorrow, Qatar’s Al Rayyan will target their second victory when they host the UAE’s Al Wahda in Group B. The kick-off is at the Al Sadd Stadium at 6:45pm.
All four teams in the group (Al Ittihad and Lokomotiv being the others) are level on three points after two matches, but Al Rayyan are currently placed at the bottom with a goal difference of -3.
After a disappointing performance in Jeddah that saw them lose 1-5 to Al Ittihad, Al Rayyan delivered a promising performance.
Goals from Luca Borges and Gelmin Rivas earned them a 2-1 home win against Lokomotiv in their second game.