Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar’s Al Sadd club will play away to Sharjah FC in the fifth round (Group B) of AFC Champions League 2023-24 at the Sharjah Stadium on Monday at 5pm Doha Time.
Al Sadd are looking forward to present a strong match to make up for the points they dropped in the previous rounds in order to cling on to their chance of qualifying for the next round.
Group B also includes FC Nasaf of Uzbekistan and Al Faisaly of Jordan.
FC Nasaf will host Al Faisaly in the other match of the day.
Sharjah FC are leading the group with eight points, followed by FC Nasaf (seven points), Al Sadd (four points) and Al Faisaly (three points).
Al Sadd and Sharjah FC had played out a goalless draw in the first leg (Round 1) at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Al Sadd, under new coach Wesam Rizik, are keen on collecting full points. The side will however miss the services of defender Paulo Otavio who is out due to suspension, and midfielder Guillerme Torres, who is injured. Ali Asad may return to the team after recovering from an injury.
Speaking on the eve of the match, Al Sadd coach Wesam Rizk described the match as a decisive clash for his side’s campaign.
The coach said, “We are facing a tough and crucial match against Sharjah. It is pivotal for Al Sadd to stay in competition in Group B. We will play for the win to keep our chances alive until the last moment.”
Rizk added, “Sharjah has a great coach, Olariu Cosmin, who coached me previously at Al Sadd, and I deeply respect him.”
He continued, “It was an honour to play for Al Sadd, and now, being the coach is a great privilege and a bigger challenge. We have exceptional and professional players at a high level. I hope we live up to the responsibility to achieve victory.”
Regarding the team’s chances, Rizk said, “We have 4 points, and we will strive to maintain our chances for qualification. We will play with hope, work strongly, minimize mistakes, and compete until the end.”
Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham said, “There is no alternative for us but to win. We must work hard and give our best to secure the points against Sharjah to stay in the competition.”
He added: “As international players returning after two victories with the national team, we hope to bring a positive vibe to help Al Sadd win. The atmosphere in the locker room is ideal, and morale is high. I hope we perform at our best to secure the three points.”
Al Duhail will play to
win: Coach Galtier
Al Duhail will host Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol in the fifth round (Group E) of the AFC Champions League at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha on Monday at 7pm.
This is the last opportunity for both teams to maintain their hopes of qualifying for the next round, as the top side from each group will advance to the Round of 16 along with the best three second-placed teams from among the five groups.
Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr are leading Group E with 12 points, followed by Iranian club Persepolis (seven points), FC Istiklol (two points) and Al Duhail (one point).
Al Duhail, under the tutelage of Frenchman Christophe Galtier, have their task cut out against FC Istiklol. It may be recalled that Al Duhail had reached the semi-finals in the last edition of AFC Champions League in 2022.
Galtier will be counting mainly on Almoez Ali, who scored five goals against Afghanistan (four goals) and India (one goal) recently in the joint Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup, as well as Kenyan star Michael Olunga and Brazilian Philippe Coutinho.
Al Duhail coach Galtier said, “We are entering an important match in the AFC Champions League, despite the fact that we are aware that our chances of advancing to the next round were very slim, however we must respect this tournament because it is very important.”
The coach added: “For 3 weeks, the team has been playing without the service of a number of players due to their international participation, and after this match we will have important matches in the domestic league, and our preparation for this confrontation was very serious and we are working to achieve victory and come out with a positive result, which is important for us.
“This match will give us the motivation to develop and is considered a high-level match, which will make us strive to win it. After our matches versus Al Nassr and we scoring of goals, we must continue to work and achieve victory. We will focus on developing the level and achieving positive results, and I am confident that the team players will enter the match with focus and seriousness, this match will be preparation for our next matches.”
Al Duhail player Shehab Al Laithi expressed his confidence in the ability of his teammates to achieve a positive result. “The match will not be easy, even if our chances of advancing to the next round diminish, but it is a match that requires us to focus and perform well in order to achieve victory.
“Everyone bears responsibility for the team’s results, and even if we lose hope of qualifying this season, we must work hard to achieve what we want in the next season, and we must fight in this season, as there are many other competitions that we are seeking to win,” he said.
