Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Doha: Despite seeing his team beaten heavily in their last two AFC Champions League outings, Al Sadd coach Hussein Amotta has not given up hope of the Qatari club going through to the knockout rounds.
Winners of the competition on their last appearance in 2011, Al Sadd began this year’s campaign brightly as they went unbeaten in their first three games before they were thrashed 5-0 by Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia and 4-0 by Sepahan in Iran in successive games.
Those defeats sent them to the bottom of Group D but it did not eliminate them from the competition and they could still secure a spot in the last 16 if they can beat group leaders Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates in their final game.
“We are ready for the match and we hope that we can achieve the positive result that we are looking for,” said Amotta, who saw his team lose 1-0 to El Jaish in Qatar’s League Cup last Saturday.
“We have good capabilities to go into the match and get the three points from this important match.
“We will try our best to avoid mistakes in order to win the match. We will be playing against a strong side in Al Ahli while our team has gone through some tough matches. Hopefully the players will handle the pressure well tomorrow.”
Spanish forward Raul has recovered from a recent injury although he is still doubtful for the match.
While Al Sadd need a win to progress, group leaders Al Ahli only need a draw to reach the last 16 for the first time.
They arrived in Doha on Sunday after beating Al Jazira 2-1 in the UAE League Cup final the night before with coach Cosmin Olaroiu keen to avoid any complacency ahead of the showdown with the Qatari side.
“The match against Al Sadd will be very hard and tough for the two teams,” said the Romanian. “The group is strong and all of the teams deserve to win but unfortunately two teams will be eliminated by the end of the group stage.
“We know that our heavy schedule will affect our team especially as we have played 11 matches in one month.
“However, there are priorities and targets and we have achieved most of those targets and we look forward to achieving more.”