The Peninsula
Al Hilal’s Romanian coach Razvan Lucescu sounded confident of winning against Pakhtakor as the two teams prepared for the first match of the AFC Champions League that resumes today after a gap of more than seven months.
Saudi giants and defending champions Al Hilal take on the Uzbek side in a Group B match to be played at the iconic Khalifa International Stadium where no fans will be allowed for the first of a series of West Zone matches on Qatari soil.
Teams from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Iran and hosts Qatar will feature in matches from Sept 14 to Oct 3 at two 2022 FIFA World Cup venues - Al Janoub Stadium, and the Khalifa International Stadium.
“We came here with the desire to reach the final of the tournament after we won the league (last year),” Lucescu said yesterday at a pre-match press conference.
“We won the league and came here with huge motivation to defend our title. “We are well prepared to face Pakhtakor after our many matches in the league after resuming match play,” the 51-year-old added.
“We have distinguished players who have the ability to do well despite the absence of those affected with the virus,” Lucescu, who coached Qatar's El Jaish for two seasons, said.
"The level of Pakhtakor caught my eye as I watched their matches. They have quality players who play attacking football,” Lucescu said.
Al Hilal goalkeeper Abdullah Al Mayouf said yesterday: “Our preparation as players doesn’t differ from any other game. We worked well in yesterday’s training session. We have to start the match strongly in order to advance to the final stages and defend our title. We worked as one integrated organization of players, coaches, administrators, and fans. We are always keen to set the goals we want to achieve and work hard to reach them.”
Pakhtakor head coach Shota Arveladze said yesterday: “I personally like this centralised format. It allows us to remain focused on the run of matches and try to go as far as possible. We know what is expected of us. We played a match every three days in the Uzbek League. It was difficult, but it will also help us adapt to the upcoming run of fixtures in this competition.”
In other matches on Qatari soil today, Saudi side Al Ahli face Iraqi giants Al Shorta in a Group A clash while UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli take on Iranian team Shahr Khodro in a Group B match.
Qatar’s Al Sadd and Al Duhail, UAE’ Al Ain, Sepahan FC of Iran, Saudi sides Al Nassr and Al Taawoun FC are the other teams vying for a spot in the next stage. Some of the matches will also be played at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium