AFC
It will be winners take all when Al Sadd SC of Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr clash in their final 2021 AFC Champions League Group D tie at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh today.
Al Sadd grabbed top spot from Al Nassr after the Qatar champions beat Foolad Khouzestan FC on Matchday Five to move up to 10 points, with the Saudi club missing out on vital points when they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Al Wehdat stay second two points adrift.
Al Nassr will be under pressure today as they try to secure full points while Al Sadd only need a draw to confirm their place in the Round of 16.
The two teams are no strangers to one another, having also been drawn together in the 2020 edition. Al Nassr may beaten Al Sadd 3-1 the last time out but the Qatar champions have grown from strength to strength with each passing game, recording three consecutive wins to finish top of the table after Matchday Five.
Head coach Xavi will hope that his charges keep up their fine performance, with the legendary Spaniard describing their 1-0 win against Fololad on Matchday Five as their best display of football yet.
While a draw is all they need to confirm a seventh consecutive appearance in the knockout stage, there will be no doubt that Al Sadd will be out to avenge their earlier loss to Al Nassr and finish the group stage with a flourish.
The Spaniard said that today's match will be like a final for his team. “Like all the other matches, we have another final, we need to get the three points in the final match to stay first in the tournament,” said Xavi. “We are leading the group, but we can’t relax, as we are going to play against a strong team who reached the semifinals last year. But we are ready for the match.
All the players are ready to play, as there are no injuries or suspensions in the squad. “Both teams will play under pressure, as each team wants to get the result that gets them to the second round, but we will play for the win. We showed our real performance in the last match, and we want to repeat that against Al Nassr,” Xavi said.
Mano Menezes-coached Al Nassr recorded positive results in their back-to-back matches against Foolad, but their unbeaten streak came to an end when Al Wehdat stunned the Saudi side 2-1 to put their qualification hopes at risk.
“This is the final match for us, and it will be difficult for us, like the previous match against Al Sadd, and the importance of this match is more because it is decisive in determining who will qualify,” expressed Menezes.
“We will try to play at the same level of the last match against Al Sadd, but we don’t know how they will react, but we will play for the win.
“Our performances in the last five matches were affected by several factors, as we played against teams with different styles, and we were also affected by the fitness demands.
We were also affected with the absence of many key players who can make the difference in the team.” “I took the mission of leading the team for only four matches, and still don’t have enough idea about the team.
We made things harder for ourselves after we lost the last match, but we still have a chance in tomorrow’s match.
“We will miss some more players in this match, but we have good cards to replace them, and we will enter the match with high confidence, and we promise our fans to fight and do our best until the last minute,” said Menezes.
Elsewhere, in Goa, India, Laurent Blanc-coached Al Rayyan will be looking for a consolation win when they take on unbeaten Persepolis FC of Iran at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium today.
Al Rayyan are placed at the bottom of their group with two points from two draws, including one on Monday when they were held 1-1 by hosts FC Goa.