Al Jazira hope to bury the ghost of past AFC Champions League failures as they take on Qatar’s Al Gharafa at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium
abu dhbai — Al Jazira hope to bury the ghost of past AFC Champions League failures and snatch a victory against Qatar’s Al Gharafa as the two teams clash at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening.
The Capital club have not won a single game in their past two AFC tournaments of 2016 and 2017. And this is exactly what Al Jazira coach Henk ten Cate hopes to change in the opening group stage match.
“A win in the first game give us a great push to deliver our best in the next rounds. We have to make full use of the home advantage and fans support and fight to win full points. We want to go beyond the Group Stage. The players are in a good physical condition, except for Harib Al Saadi and Khalfan Mubarak. They are all eager to put the best possible performance. Al Jazira are trying to write a new history in the AFC Champions League,” the Dutchman said during a Press conference on Sunday.
Ten Cate’s confidence comes from Al Jazira’s superb performance against Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League’s previous round match. Al Jazira played with great composure despite missing out on Ali Mabkhout due to suspension. The star striker was back for the training session on Sunday.
“The young players gave a remarkable performance in the match against Al Wasl, where we were very close to winning it. That performance has raised the confidence of the players,” he said about Monday’s Group ‘A’ encounter.
Ten Cate said unlike in the past, Al Jazira will seriously focus on Continental matches.
“One of the most important goals is to compete strongly in the AFC Champions League. We will play with higher level of concentration. I am confident they will fight throughout the match to earn full points.”
Qatar side Al Gharafa boasts of new names like Netherlands’ attacking midfielder Wesley Sneijder and Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi but Ten Cate said his boys are aware about what’s at stake and have prepared well for the encounter. “We hope to enter the next round and will play for three points,” he added.
Monday’s match is a tough encounter for both the teams. This is first sports engagement with Qatar after the political tensions flared up. It will be a test of character and temperament for both the sides.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi club Al Wahda meet Lokomotiv Tashkent return in Group B encounter at Lokomotiv Stadium in Tashkent.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com