Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Coach Salman Shareedah urged his Al Hidd forwards to ensure they take their chances in order to help the team claim the three points against Iraqi champions Al Shorta in their AFC Group B opener on Tuesday.
Al Hidd had met Al Shorta in the group stages of last year’s tournament and shared two goalless stalemates with the Iraqi Premier League side, results that helped Al Hidd to finish in runners-up spot in Group C, four points ahead of Al Shorta.
The club from Bahrain would then go on to reach the quarter-finals in their maiden appearance in the AFC Cup (pictured) before losing on away goals to eventual champions Qadsia SC from Kuwait after drawing 3-3 on aggregate.
And despite Saturday’s morale-boosting 4-0 hammering of fellow Bahraini Premier League club Al Shabab to secure their place in the semi-finals of this year’s Bahrain King’s Cup, Shareedah knows his side must be at their best in a tough test against Al Shorta.
“The match will be very hard as we are playing against one of the best teams in Iraq who are tough opponents and have experienced players,” said Al Hidd coach Shareedah.
“I hope that we can have a good start and I reminded the players to concentrate in the match to convert the chances that they will create into goals.
“Each team will be looking to win and we will try our best to get a positive result.”
Having won the domestic league in back-to-back seasons, Al Shorta are also undefeated in this year’s Iraqi Premier League so far, and warmed up for the visit of Al Hidd with a 3-0 league win over Naft Misan last Thursday.
“We are looking forward to have a good start in the competition. We want to continue our good results in the recent weeks as we are currently on top of our group in the local league and our target is to have good results in the AFC Cup as well,” said Al Shorta coach Mohamed Youssef, who will be without suspended Syrian defender Hamdi Al Massri.
“We are ready for the match and our target is to get a victory and get three important points. There is no doubt that our opponents are a strong team and we should focus well in order to defeat them.”
Also in Group B on Tuesday, Palestinian champions Taraji Wadi Al Nes make their debut in the AFC Cup when they entertain another newcomer to the competition in Jordan’s Al Jazeera.
“Our participation in the competition this year is a big achievement. We are looking forward to leave a good impression and hopeful that we can claim positive results which can reflect the good level of Palestinian football,” said Taraji Wadi Al Nes coach Abdulfattah Arar.
“We should have had better preparations but the weather conditions affected us. We studied our opponents well and we will be ready for the match.”
Opponents Al Jazeera, meanwhile, shared a 1-1 draw with Jordan’s other representative in the AFC Cup, Al Wehdat, on Thursday in the league competition before arriving in the West Bank on the weekend.
“The match will be very hard for us because it is our first participation in the competition and the opening match is always important,” said Al Jazeera coach Issa Al Turk.
“They are good opponents and they have good players who will be hoping to get a positive result at home and in front of their fans.”
Photo: AFP