Coach wants Pakhtakor to grab chances against Al Hilal SFC
PAKHTAKOR head coach Shota Arveladze believes his side need to convert more of their chances in Matchday Four fixture against reigning champions Al Hilal SFC in Group B of the 2020 AFC Champions League at the Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday.
A Sebastian Giovinco freekick and a last-second strike from substitute Hattan Bahebri sealed a 2-1 win for Al Hilal on Monday as Pakhtakor were reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of keeper Eldorbek Suyonov for handling the ball outside of his area.
But with two victories from their first two games, Pakhtakor could still pip Al Hilal to the top of the group with a two-goal margin win, and if Shahr Khodro manage a win against Shabab Al Ahli Dubai in the other Thursday match, the Uzbek League champions could have a foot and a half in the Round of 16 come Matchday Five.
“We did not change much in our programme following the previous game,” said Arveladze.
“It was mostly recovery and preparation to face Al Hilal again. We know each game is different, and we cannot do the same thing in each game. We cannot keep wasting the chances we get, and we are here to prove we can compete at the highest level.
“We have quality at the back and up front, and we are determined to come out with the three points.”
“This level of competition needs players who are individually able to change the course of the match such as Giovinco did from the free-kick.
“Al Hilal are a good team who have excellent players, some of whom are goal machines, and they are the best team in Asia, but we have quality too.”
The best team in Asia is a tag Al Hilal’s Romanian head coach Razvan Lucescu is keen to prove with the reigning champions intent on keeping their 100% record so far in the competition and securing qualification early on.
“As is always the case, we want to win this match. Both teams know each other better now, so focus is ever more important for us.” said Lucescu, who led Al Hilal to the 2019 AFC Champions League title just five months after his arrival.
“We are still in an early phase, the job is not done yet even though we have nine points out of a possible nine. Pakhtakor are a big team both offensively and defensively, they also possess a fair amount of physical strength but we also have the talent and ability and want to win this match.”
A win for the three time continental champions will see them join compatriots Al Ahli FC Saudi in the Round of 16, with a perfect head to head record against the Uzbek side.
Head coach Gerard Zaragoza has warned against complacency as his Shabab Al Ahli Dubai FC side look to repeat their win against Shahr Khodro FC when the two sides meet on Thursday in Group B at the Al Janoub Stadium at 6pm.
The Dubai based side had managed to scrape a 1-0 win against their Islamic Republic of Iran opponents, thanks to a magnificent solo effort from youngster Harib Abdallah Suhail to give Shabab Al Ahli their first three points in the 2020 edition.
A second consecutive win for the 2015 AFC Champions League runners-up would put them at the heart of competition for a Round-of-16 spot as the two sides ahead of them in the group table, Al Hilal with nine points and Pakhtakor with six, lock horns in the late Thursday fixture.
“Shahr Khodro are a good team, things will be a lot harder now that both teams know each other,” said Zaragoza.
“We will work on different plans in order to ensure we come out on top. We always talk to our players about taking it match-by-match. We are now thinking of Shahr Khodro, and we have to win before we start thinking of the following match.”
Brazilian attacking midfielder Carlos Eduardo made his Shabab Al Ahli debut off the bench in the Matchday Three game and could be in line to start for the Thursday fixture as Zaragoza looks to tinker with his selections.
“Eduardo is a great player. He did really well with Al Hilal last year, and that’s why we wanted to sign him.
“He looked very good on his debut, even though he had just made his comeback from injury, yet we expect a lot more from him in the next match.”
Monday’s defeat meant Shahr Khodro remain without a point in three matches, and yet another defeat against Shabab Al Ahli on Thursday would seal their fate, sending them out of the 2020 AFC
Champions League at the group stage.
“In the first match, we did not know much about Shabab Al Ahli,” said assistant coach Mohammad Navazi.
“But now we know more because we played against them. We have a combination of young and experienced players in our team and they will gel together to produce better performances.
“We played defensively against our instincts in the previous match. Shabab Al Ahli’s experienced players forced us into this, but we will try to deal with it in a better way come the next game. They are a good team, and we will have our work cut out for us in the next match in order to get the win.”
Al Janoub Stadium hosts the Matchday Four clash between Shahr Khodro and Shabab Al Ahli at 18:00 local time, while the top two sides in Group B battle in the 21:00 kick-off at the same ground.