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AFC
Jeddah
Al Ahli Saudi FC can’t afford another slip up while Al Duhail SC will be aiming to maintain their perfect start when the two sides meet in Group C of the 2021 AFC Champions League at the King Abdullah Sports City at 8.45pm on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli are already in a difficult position following their 5-2 defeat to Islamic Republic of Iran’s Esteghlal FC on Matchday One.
Al Duhail, meanwhile, enjoyed a much better start as they breezed past Iraq’s Al Shorta 2-0.
Head coach Laurentiu Reghecampf felt Al Ahli did not deserve to lose by such an emphatic margin as the Saudi side had their moments against an impressive Esteghlal.
The Romanian, however, knows his team have no margin for error against Al Duhail, especially with only the group winners assured of advancing to the Round of 16.
One positive development for Al Ahli was the mercurial Omar Al Soma scoring both their goals and Reghecampf will be counting on the Syrian to lead from the front at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Sunday.
“This match is very important and we should avoid another defeat,” said Reghecampf. “We know that we will be playing a team that plays good football. We have tried our best to improve the confidence of the players after the previous defeat.
“The players are not responsible for the defeat in the opening match and as I’m in charge of the team, I take the responsibility. We are working as one group to get past the challenges that we have.”
Head coach Sabri Lamouchi was delighted with Al Duhail’s win over Al Shorta, describing it as hugely important in their bid to earn the automatic to the Round of 16.
Al Duhail came into the tournament having seen Al Sadd SC run away with the Qatar Stars League title and a prolonged run in the 2021 AFC Champions League will go a long way in erasing their disappointment.
Michael Olunga and Edmilson Junior were the scorers against Al Shorta but Al Duhail have a very potent looking squad and Lamouchi will be confident of another three points against Al Ahli.
“Tomorrow’s match will be different for us,” said Lamouchi. “We had a good start to the competition but we know that we will be playing against a strong team that wants to recover after their opening defeat which means there are a lot of challenges for us.
“Al Ahli are a big team and they have excellent players but we will try our best to improve and focus on our own team.
“There are a lot of challenges like the heavy schedule, the late kick-offs, in addition to the special conditions of Ramadan. We will need to make the right decisions in order to avoid any difficulties.”
Jeddah
Al Ahli Saudi FC can’t afford another slip up while Al Duhail SC will be aiming to maintain their perfect start when the two sides meet in Group C of the 2021 AFC Champions League at the King Abdullah Sports City at 8.45pm on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli are already in a difficult position following their 5-2 defeat to Islamic Republic of Iran’s Esteghlal FC on Matchday One.
Al Duhail, meanwhile, enjoyed a much better start as they breezed past Iraq’s Al Shorta 2-0.
Head coach Laurentiu Reghecampf felt Al Ahli did not deserve to lose by such an emphatic margin as the Saudi side had their moments against an impressive Esteghlal.
The Romanian, however, knows his team have no margin for error against Al Duhail, especially with only the group winners assured of advancing to the Round of 16.
One positive development for Al Ahli was the mercurial Omar Al Soma scoring both their goals and Reghecampf will be counting on the Syrian to lead from the front at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Sunday.
“This match is very important and we should avoid another defeat,” said Reghecampf. “We know that we will be playing a team that plays good football. We have tried our best to improve the confidence of the players after the previous defeat.
“The players are not responsible for the defeat in the opening match and as I’m in charge of the team, I take the responsibility. We are working as one group to get past the challenges that we have.”
Head coach Sabri Lamouchi was delighted with Al Duhail’s win over Al Shorta, describing it as hugely important in their bid to earn the automatic to the Round of 16.
Al Duhail came into the tournament having seen Al Sadd SC run away with the Qatar Stars League title and a prolonged run in the 2021 AFC Champions League will go a long way in erasing their disappointment.
Michael Olunga and Edmilson Junior were the scorers against Al Shorta but Al Duhail have a very potent looking squad and Lamouchi will be confident of another three points against Al Ahli.
“Tomorrow’s match will be different for us,” said Lamouchi. “We had a good start to the competition but we know that we will be playing against a strong team that wants to recover after their opening defeat which means there are a lot of challenges for us.
“Al Ahli are a big team and they have excellent players but we will try our best to improve and focus on our own team.
“There are a lot of challenges like the heavy schedule, the late kick-offs, in addition to the special conditions of Ramadan. We will need to make the right decisions in order to avoid any difficulties.”
