AFC Champions League: Al-Sadd to Face Foolad Khuzestan Tomorrow

Riyadh, April 13 (QNA) - The Al-Sadd is looking forward to achieving a strong start when it meets Foolad Khuzestan tomorrow at King Fahd Stadium in Group D, in the group stage of the 2021 AFC Champions League . In the second match within the same group, AL-Sadd will also meet the Jordanian Al-Wehdat and Saudi team AL-Nasser at King Saud University Stadium. Al-Sadd seeks to show their strong presence in the AFC Champions League, having previously won the title in 2011, and managed to reach the semi-finals in 2018 and 2019. This will be the fifth confrontation between the two teams in the history of the tournament, as Al-Sadd had won a match between them and Foolad won another, with three draws between them. Al-Sadd did their main training at Al-Shabab club, which witnessed strong participation from all the teams stars, and the technical staff took care of the skillful training, with the implementation of some tactical plays on the goal, which varied between defensive and offensive. Before that, this the manager explained to the players the most important technical points of the meeting and urged them to present the best in the match, which is the first in the teams career in the Champions League this season. The teams squad included 24 players: Saad Al-Dossary, Mishaal Barshim, Jihad Muhammad, Yusef Al-Balushi, Ahmed Sayyar, Pedro Miguel, Hassan Al-Haydos, Nam Tai Hee, Muhammad Waad, Khokhi Boualam, Guillerme Torres, Rodrigo Tabata, Baghdad Bounajah, Salem Al-Hajri, Tariq Salman, Yusef Abdul Razzaq, Hussam Kamal, Musab Khader, Ahmed Suhail, Bahaa Al Laithi, Hashem Ali, Abdul Karim Hassan, Santi Cazarola, Ali Asad . Al Sadd's coach Xavi Hernandez confirmed his teams readiness for the start of the competition, and said at the match press conference held today, "We are happy and eager to compete again in the AFC Champions League. This is a new challenge for us in Al Sadd Club, by competing in the best tournament in Asia". He continued, "We are playing in a strong and difficult group, but we are ready to compete in the championship .. We analyzed the match between Foolad and Al Ain, and they are a strong and difficult team, but our main ambition now is to qualify from the group." Hernandez added, "The Qatari league has developed a lot, but the competition in the AFC Champions League is very different, and all levels of the teams are close to a large extent, and we have a lot of experience in this tournament." On the absence of Akram Afif from the team, the Al-Sadd's coach concluded his speech, saying: "This absence has a great impact, as he is one of the most important members of the team, but we have no excuse and we must have players who are able to compensate for his absence." On the other hand, Pedro Miguel, Al Sadd player, said, "We enter the competition with a high spirit after winning the Qatar Football League title and the distinguished performances we have presented in the tournament." "All the players are in good shape, and they are ready to give their best to compete with the group." Foolad Khuzestan will participate in the group stage after defeating Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates in the preliminary round 4-0, and this will be the team's fourth participation in the tournament, and the first since 2015. The Coach of Foolad Khuzestan Jesus Noble "We are happy to be in the group stage after the preliminary round match in front of Al Ain, and we certainly hoped to have more time to prepare for this match, but now we must be ready to give the best we can in tomorrow's match". He added, "We are playing in the most difficult group in the tournament, in the presence of Al Sadd and Al Nasr, but we are confident of our ability to provide a good level in the group." And Jesus Noble also said, "Tomorrow's match will be a big match against a team that is expected to win the top of the group, and they have distinguished players with high capabilities, and we are honored to face such a team." The second round of group competitions will be held next Saturday, where Al-Nasr will meet Al-Sadd, and Foolad Khuzestan will meet Al-Wehdat. first place in each group will the round of 16, along with the best six clubs that get second place in the ten groups. The Asian Football Confederation had decided that Saudi Arabia would host the first and fourth group competitions in Riyadh, with the third group matches to be held in Jeddah, and the second group matches to be held in the UAE city of Sharjah, while India would host the fifth group competitions .. The competitions would be held in the West Asia region. From 14 to 30 April. (QNA)