AFC
Qatar's Al Duhail will be looking for a flying start in the group stage of the AFC Champions League when they take on the current Iraqi League winners Al Shorta at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah today.
With only the group winners assured of advancing into the Round of 16, the Sabri Lamouchi-led Qatar football heavyweights will be targeting full points in the opening Group C clash. In a pool that also includes regional giants Esteghlal FC of Iran and Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli, Al Duhail will have to provide their best efforts to book a berth in the next stage and their French tactician said that it is their primary target.
“Our first goal is to advance from the group stage,” Lamouchi said during a pre-match press conference yesterday.
“We have been preparing for the last three weeks and we had a lot of good matches," Lamouchi, who took charge of the 'Red Knights' last season, said. Al Duhail head into the tournament off a domestic season which saw them relinquishing their tag as Qatar Stars League champions, with Al Sadd clinching the title in resounding fashion.
They finished second, 13 points behind Al Sadd, and will be hoping to make an impact at this year's continental showpiece, having missed out on the knockout stage last year. “COVID-19 has affected football for more than a year but now we have adapted and are ready for everything," Lamouchi, whose side played a number of domestic matches in the build-up for the Asian event, said.
“The group is strong and there will be big competition. Al Ahli Saudi have good Asian experience but we want to advance from the group and to do so, we must make a good start tomorrow,” a confident Lamouchi added.
In their ninth successive AFC Champions League group stage, the Almoez Ali powered Al Duhail’s previous best was making the quarter-finals in 2013, 2015 and 2018.
On the other hand, Iraq’s Al Shorta head into the tournament 10 points off the pace in the Iraqi Premier League, a title they won in 2019 and are defending after the last season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There was, however, cheer for them in the 2019 AFC Champions League with Al Shorta recording their first win in the tournament since it was rebranded.
Al Shorta head coach Aleksandar Ilic said his team are determined to hit the ground running.
“It is very important to have good performances in all the matches and if we do so, then the results will eventually come. The group is difficult and our first match will be against a strong team,” said Ilic said on the eve of the key clach.