Doha: Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins has said his side will have to be at its best to overcome the Shabab Al Ahli challenge in the AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite Preliminary Stage 2 game at the Al Bayt Stadium today. Qatar’s Al Gharafa earned the opportunity to appear in the tie after finishing third in the country’s top flight while UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli advanced after sealing a 4-1 comeback win over Iran’s Sepahan in the Stage 1 match last week. The winners of today’s contest will qualify for the group stage of the prestigious AFC Champions League Elite from the West Zone, while the losers will enter the AFC Champions League Two group stage.
Al Gharafa will be in action just three days after they were held to a goalless draw by Al Khor in their Ooredoo Stars League (OSL) opener with Martins anticipating a strong challenge from the UAE opponents. “Shabab Al Ahli is a strong team that has players who are playing together for many years. We have studied them well and expecting a difficult match against them tomorrow.
They proved themselves very strong against Iran’s Sepahan in their previous match,” the Al Gharafa coach said at a pre-match press conference yesterday. “The timing is not the best as we will play this important game just three days after our opening match against Al Khor, but I have confidence in my players and we will fight to secure our berth.” Martins hoped Al Gharafa star Yacine Brahimi will be fit for the clash after missing the OSL opener.
“Yacine Brahimi is improving gradually and we will see if he is ready to play,” he said. Talismanic forward Yohan Boli and Spanish veteran Joselu have boosted Al Gharafa squad this season with playmaker Ferjani Sassi hoping the experienced players to make a difference in the match. “We are 100 percent ready.
All the players are excited and have great desire to achieve the victory in what will be a difficult match as Shabab Al Ahli are coming back to action after an impressive win,” said the Tunisian. “Our team’s atmosphere is good and the presence of experienced players will give us strength. We are hoping to see our fans in good numbers to support us.
” Shabab Al Ahli hold an edge over Al Gharafa in their last two ACL encounters as the UAE side trounced their Qatari counterparts 8-2 in 2018, having settled for a 1-1 draw in 2015. Despite a convincing win over Sepahan, Shabab Al Ahli coach Paulo Sousa was not taking things for granted against the hosts. “It will be a different match from our last fixture.
Al Gharafa have many prominent players but our goal is to win and reach the group stage.” Shabab Al Ahli defender Eid Khamis said: “It is going to be an exciting match as both teams will fight hard to advance in the group stage. We are looking forward to continue our winning momentum.
” Qatar’s league winners Al Sadd and runners-up Al Rayyan are already in the group stage of ACL Elite..
