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AFC
Doha
Al Nassr coach Portuguese Rui Vitoria believes his side and Iran’s Sepahan FC will settle for nothing less than a win in their second encounter in Group D of the 2020 AFC Champions League on Friday.
Striker Abderrazak Hamdallah settled matters with a brace at the Jassem bin Hamad stadium on Tuesday, scoring either side of the half time break while teammate Brad Jones pulled off a number of saves to stave off a late rally by the Iran Pro League side.
The result helped the 2018/19 Saudi Pro League champions leapfrog Al Sadd SC to first place in the group on seven points, while it left Sepahan in third place with three points and needing a win in Friday’s rematch to avoid falling out of contention for a Round of 16 spot.
“We will face the same team at the same stadium again. Both teams play a different game, but both teams want to get the win at all costs,”said Vitoria.
“This match takes place under different circumstances than those before. We deal with this competition in a game-by-game manner. After winning our first game, we need to do more to win the next. We will not think of what happens in the future, we will see how that goes as the tournament progresses.
“I do not like to single out players to talk about, I prefer talking about the teamwork we displayed, especially with three players having not taken part as much yet got the support of their teammates and looked like they have adapted well to the team.”
With back-to-back defeats following their impressive 4-0 victory over Al Ain in the opening matchday, Sepahan now find themselves in dire need of points to keep pace with Al Nassr and Al Sadd as Mojtaba Toutouni’s side chase a first AFC Champions League knockout stage appearance since 2012.
“We have a big game and it will have a huge bearing on our chances of qualifying, but we hope we can get a good result,” said the assistant coach.
A win would place Al Nassr in pole position to seal qualification in the following round, while Sepahan could take control of their own fate if they win and Al Ain defeat Al Sadd in the other game.Today’s Matches
Group D
(at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium)
6pm: Al Sadd vs Al Ain (UAE)
9pm: Al Nassr (KSA) vs Sepahan (IRN)
Group C
(at Education City Stadium)
6pm: Al Duhail vs Sharjah (UAE)
9pm: Al Taawoun (KSA) vs Persepolis (IRN)
Doha
Al Nassr coach Portuguese Rui Vitoria believes his side and Iran’s Sepahan FC will settle for nothing less than a win in their second encounter in Group D of the 2020 AFC Champions League on Friday.
Striker Abderrazak Hamdallah settled matters with a brace at the Jassem bin Hamad stadium on Tuesday, scoring either side of the half time break while teammate Brad Jones pulled off a number of saves to stave off a late rally by the Iran Pro League side.
The result helped the 2018/19 Saudi Pro League champions leapfrog Al Sadd SC to first place in the group on seven points, while it left Sepahan in third place with three points and needing a win in Friday’s rematch to avoid falling out of contention for a Round of 16 spot.
“We will face the same team at the same stadium again. Both teams play a different game, but both teams want to get the win at all costs,”said Vitoria.
“This match takes place under different circumstances than those before. We deal with this competition in a game-by-game manner. After winning our first game, we need to do more to win the next. We will not think of what happens in the future, we will see how that goes as the tournament progresses.
“I do not like to single out players to talk about, I prefer talking about the teamwork we displayed, especially with three players having not taken part as much yet got the support of their teammates and looked like they have adapted well to the team.”
With back-to-back defeats following their impressive 4-0 victory over Al Ain in the opening matchday, Sepahan now find themselves in dire need of points to keep pace with Al Nassr and Al Sadd as Mojtaba Toutouni’s side chase a first AFC Champions League knockout stage appearance since 2012.
“We have a big game and it will have a huge bearing on our chances of qualifying, but we hope we can get a good result,” said the assistant coach.
A win would place Al Nassr in pole position to seal qualification in the following round, while Sepahan could take control of their own fate if they win and Al Ain defeat Al Sadd in the other game.Today’s Matches
Group D
(at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium)
6pm: Al Sadd vs Al Ain (UAE)
9pm: Al Nassr (KSA) vs Sepahan (IRN)
Group C
(at Education City Stadium)
6pm: Al Duhail vs Sharjah (UAE)
9pm: Al Taawoun (KSA) vs Persepolis (IRN)
