DOHA (Qatar): Former AFC Champions League winners Al Ain and Al Sadd go head to head in Group D at the 2020 AFC Champions League at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday.
Al Sadd defender Abdelkarim Hassan said they are ready against Al Ain, but it will be a tough match.
“Our group is not easy, but Al Sadd is fully prepared. We hope to qualify as the group toppers. We’ll take every match separately, as they come,” said Abdelkarim at a press conference on Monday.
The two sides met in 2002-03 edition, a match that ended in a 2-0 win for the UAE Pro League side courtesy of Kandia Traore and Boubacer Sanogo’s strikes.
The Emiratis went on to lift the trophy that year.
“We have benefited a lot from the resumption of Qatari league and the early start to training, and this gives us more readiness than the rest of the teams,” added Abdelkarim.
The 2020 edition started in a difficult manner for Al Ain with a 4-0 defeat to Sepahan FC at home. Coach Pedro Emanuel’s men then slightly improved on that performance, but not enough as they lost to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr 2-1 on Matchday Two.
Al Sadd, on the other hand, needed an own goal from Al Nassr’s Abdulelah Al Amri to salvage a draw away from home on Matchday One, before going on to beat Sepahan by a 3-0 scoreline thanks to Akram Afif’s chip and captain Hassan Al Haydos’ brace in the second half.
The Qatari side, who reached the semifinals in the past two editions, will hope for a win to strengthen their position at the top of the table while Al Ain need a win to take them back into contention for qualification to the Round of 16 for the tenth time in their history.
