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 open.