Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Al Qadsia coach Mohammad Ebrahim will be without defenders Mesaed Nada and Mohammad Rashed as well as midfielder Talal Al Amer for Wednesday’s key AFC Cup Group D opener against Syrian champions Al Shorta while goalkeeper Nawaf Al Khaldi is also a doubt.
Al Qadsia won their group last year before losing to fellow Kuwait Premier League side and eventual champions Kuwait Sports Club in the Round of 16 last year.
And while Nada is suspended and Rashed and Al Amer are both injured, while Al Khaldi’s participation is doubtful following a recent injury, Al Qadsia recorded a timely 2-0 win over Al Salmiya on Saturday.
“Syrian football has improved a lot in the recent years which was proven by Syria national team who won the WAFF Championship last year. Al Shorta is a big team and they have several international players which means that our task will not be easy,” said Al Qadsia coach Ebrahim, pictured during a spell with the Kuwait national team.
“The match against Al Shorta is the key of qualification for us because they are the main opponents for us in the group.
“The match will not be easy and hopefully we can get a good result and the players will not be affected with the heavy local schedule.”
Al Shorta also won their group last year after posting five wins from six games before being edged out by Thailand’s Chonburi 4-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals after the second leg went to extra-time.
Coach Mohamad Al Shaded, though, will be without goalkeeper Mosab Balhous due to a hamstring injury as Al Shorta look to kickstart their AFC Cup challenge at Mohammed Al Hamad Stadium.
“We have several new players who have joined the team this season,” said Al Shorta coach Al Shaded, who saw his side share a 1-1 draw with Lebanon's Al Ahed during a recent training camp in Beirut.
“We have a lot of quality players but we haven’t had enough time to prepare the team very well for the competition especially because the international players couldn’t join the team due to their commitment with the national team.
“We played some matches in the local league and had a training camp in Lebanon but this was not enough for us to create the necessary consistency between the players. However, I’m confident that our players will have a good performance.”
Also in Group D on Wednesday, Tajikistan domestic champions FC Ravshan entertain Jordan’s Al Ramtha in Khujand.
With sides from Tajikistan making their first appearance in the AFC Cup this season, coach Gayratali Mirahmadov admits his side are entering the unknown although FC Ravshan are boosted by the off-season arrivals of Davronjon Tukhtasunov, Abdusamad Khodzhibaev and Gafforov Sayriddin.
“We began to prepare for the AFC Cup in January with several training camps and the players are in good physical condition and they are ready for the match,” said Mirahmadov.
“We trust our players that they can participate in the AFC Cup and represent football in Tajikistan.
“I have little information about Al Ramtha as I was unable to find any DVDs of their matches. Because of this I do not have an opinion of Al Ramtha, all I know is that we must try and impose ourselves on our opponent.”
Jordan’s Al Ramtha are also playing in the AFC Cup for the first time having finished as runners-up behind Al Faisaly in the Jordanian league last season.
“I have no idea about our opponent, I don’t know how they play but I think it will be an interesting game,” said Al Ramtha coach Belal Al Laham, who saw his side beat That Ras 4-1 on Friday to move up to fourth place in the 2013 Jordanian league.
“We arrived in Tajikistan on March 4 via Istanbul. The flight was tiring and we had to wait 11 hours in Istanbul.
“But we have arrived in Tajikistan not as tourists…we have arrived to win the three points.”
Photo: AFP