Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Inaugural winners Al Ain and former continental champions Al Hilal as well as Iran’s Tractorsazi Tabriz, Shanghai SIPG of China and A-League side Melbourne Victory are within sight of a place in the last 16 of the AFC Champions League heading into Tuesday’s penultimate round of group stage fixtures.
Currently sitting in second place in Group D, 2003 winners Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates travel to Uzbekistan to face Nasaf with Zlatko Dalic’s side knowing victory will ensure a third straight appearance in the last 16.
After back-to-back losses to leaders El Jaish of Qatar, Al Ain bounced back with consecutive wins over Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli, but they will face a tough test against a Nasaf side who must win to guarantee their continental campaign continues until the final round of fixtures next month.
“We achieved a good win tonight against a strong team” said Dalic after seeing a Douglas brace secure victory over Al Ahli earlier this month.
“The three points are very important because it is an away win. However, this doesn’t mean that we are close as we still have two matches. We must concentrate in order to win those matches and secure our place in the knockout stage.”
Al Ain, though, will be without midfielder Mohamed Abdulrahman, while defender Sherzod Azamov will also sit out the fixture for the home side.
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Meanwhile, already qualified El Jaish will win the group with a game to spare should they beat Al Ahli or if Al Ain fail to defeat Nasaf, but they will be missing the suspended Waleed Bakshawn and Fahad Hamad,.
And two-time Asian Club Championship winners Al Hilal will also progress to the Round of 16 for an eighth consecutive season if the Saudi Arabian club defeat current Group C leaders Tractorsazi or Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor fail to defeat already-eliminated Al Jazira.
A win for Tractorsazi, though, would mean cementing top spot ahead of the last round of fixtures and see the Iranian side advance to the knockout stage for the first time in four attempts.
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Anything but all three points in Tashkent for Numon Khasanov’s Pakhtakor, though, would mean the end of any hopes for a first Round of 16 appearance since 2010.
In Group G, continental debutants Shanghai will look to confirm their place in the last 16 with at least a point against Melbourne while a win over the Australians would see the Chinese Super League team win the group with a game to spare.
While Sven Goran Eriksson’s side will be without suspended midfielder Cai Huikang, any result but a Suwon Samsung Bluewings victory over Gamba Osaka in Group G’s earlier tie would also be enough to see Shanghai through.
For two-time continental champions Suwon, defeat to Gamba in Japan would mean premature elimination from the competition, while even a draw might not be enough if Melbourne avoid defeat in China.
For bottom-placed side Gamba, even a win over Suwon might not be enough for the 2008 champions if Melbourne return to Australia with at least a point from their tie in Shanghai.
“I am proud of my team for this result,” said Melbourne coach Kevin Muscat after his side’s 1-1 away draw with Suwon earlier this month.
“We defended well and I want to praise my team for that. We prepared well for Suwon's counterattacks and it was a good result for us.
“Both teams still have very difficult away trips still to come. Suwon must go to Japan to take on Gamba Osaka while we go to China for a tough game with Shanghai. It is very difficult to say what will happen.”
Finally in Group H, both defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande of China and three-time Asian champions Pohang Steelers of Korea Republic may need to wait until the result ofWednesday’s match between Australia’s Sydney FC and Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds to know their fate.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Guangzhou must win in Pohang to ensure, with any other result meaning elimination, but should Urawa avoid defeat in Australia then a first win of the campaign for the Chinese Super League champions would still remain insufficient.
Meanwhile, a defeat or draw with Guangzhou would also see Pohang casting nervous glances to the action in Sydney with a positive result for Urawa also potentially eliminating the K-League Classic side.
Photo: Lagardère Sports