Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Pune: I-League runners-up Pune welcome Vietnam champions Hanoi T&T to Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex as the battle for just four places in the group stage of the 2014 AFC Champions League begins on Wednesday with the first round of play-offs.
Pune are looking to convert strong recent domestic form, which has yielded top five finishes over the last four seasons including their 2012-13 runner-up spot, to become India’s first-ever AFC Champions League participant.
Hanoi T&T, meanwhile, are looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow Vietnamese side Nam Dinh who appeared in the group stage of the 2008 AFC Champions League.
Having appeared in the group stage of the AFC Cup in 2011, Hanoi T&T earned their place in the AFC Champions League play-offs after edging out Da Nang to claim the V-League title for a second time.
The winner at Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex will travel to Thailand to face domestic runners-up Muangthong United in the second round on February 8, with fellow Thai Premier League side Chonburi awaiting the winners of Sunday’s first round tie between Singapore champions Tampines Rovers and Hong Kong champions South China.
Also on Sunday, 2013 AFC Cup winners Kuwait Sports Club entertain Iraq champions Al Shorta in the first round.
Kuwait SC became the first side to win the AFC Cup three times with a 2-0 win over fellow Kuwait Premier League side Al Qadsia, who are also in play-off action on Sunday as they travel to Oman to face domestic champions Al Suwaiq.
Al Shorta, though, are boosted by Iraq’s recent success at the AFC U-22 Championship in Oman, with six players from Hakeem Shakir’s squad, including tournament MVP Amjed Kalaf, making the trip to Kuwait City.
“Kuwait SC is a very good team and we know this will be a difficult match, but we’re determined to get a result,” said Kalaf.
“There’s six of us from Al Shorta who were involved in the AFC U-22 Championship final and we now know what it means to be a champion in Asia.
“This is my first match against Kuwaiti opposition; hopefully it will be a successful experience.”
Uzbekistan runners-up Lokomotiv are awaiting the winner of the tie between Kuwait SC and Al Shorta, with Qatar’s Lekhwiya – who reached the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League last year – the second round opponents for either Al Suwaiq or Al Qadsia.
Finally on Sunday, Jordanian league champions Shabab Al Ordon entertain Bahrain’s Al Hidd for the right to travel to the United Arab Emirates to face Baniyas in the second round next month.
Shabab Al Ordon lost to Al Hidd on away goals in the 2012–13 UAFA Club Cup following a 1-1 draw in Amman, but Jordan international Oday Zahran is expecting a different result at Amman International Stadium this time around.
“It’s good for me and us as a team to play in the AFC Champions League. I hope that we are ready and can perform at our best so we can do well in the play-offs,” said Zahran, who helped Jordan finish third at the AFC U-22 Championship earlier this month.
“We played against Al Hidd in the UAFA Club Cup and they knocked us out of the competition on away goals, but we were very unlucky as I feel we were the best in both legs. Also the Jordan U-22 team played a warm-up game with Al Hidd ahead of the AFC U-22 Championship and we won 3-2.
“They are a very physical team with a high level of fitness and conditioning, but Shabab Al Ordon have changed the team since we last played them and our team is now very strong, especially in our last four or five games. We know all about Al Hidd, and we’re ready for them.”