ABU DHABI // Sami Al Jaber has taken up the challenge of leading Al Wahda in their tough Asian Champions League (ACL) play-off against Al Sadd of Qatar tonight in his first game in charge of the Abu Dhabi club.
The former Saudi Arabia international, who replaces Jose Peseiro, said he cherished the challenge of leading his new team in one of their biggest matches of the season.
“I am really happy to take charge of a good team, and this is the type of match that everyone wants to play, especially the players,” he said ahead of their game tonight with the Qatar Stars League leaders at Al Nahyan Stadium.
“I believe in the action on the pitch, and to start against a good team is still better for me. The importance of this game is that it is only one game, and whoever wins this are in the group stage of the continental championship.
“Al Sadd are strong opponents. They are well-organised team with quality players, but we are prepared to take them on.
“I spent three days with my players, and they are very determined to play in the ACL after missing out in recent times.
“I believe this team has the potential to achieve that goal because there are quality players in this squad.”
Al Jaber takes over at Wahda as they sit third in the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) table, four points behind the joint leaders, Al Jazira and Al Ain.
“No coach would want to come in the middle of the season, but Wahda are in a great position and from here they can go on and win both the league and the President’s Cup,” he said.
“They are a big club, anyway, so joining them at the beginning of the season or in the middle of it didn’t matter much to me. In fact, it is a great honour for me to take charge of them.”
Al Sadd have been reinforced by Grafite, the Brazilian striker who was shipped out by AGL champions Al Ahli during the mid-season transfer window, but he may not be fit enough to take part.
“He is still not 100 per cent, but we’ll not decide on the line-up until the day of the match,” said Hussein Amotta, Sadd’s Moroccan coach.
The winner of the Wahda-Al Sadd tie will join Foolad of Iran, Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv and Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in Group C.
Meanwhile, Jazira face two challenges in their ACL play-off, which begins at 4pm. The first is their opponents, Bunyodkor, and the other is the biting cold weather in the Uzbekistan capital, Tashkent.
Eric Gerets, the Jazira coach, said his players can handle a partisan crowd, but he is concerned about temperatures that may dip to 5 degrees before the match ends.
“My players have faced bigger crowds in some of the away games and that will not be a big issue, but the bitter cold here is something they need to adapt to as quickly as possible,” the Belgian said in Tashkent.
“I believe it is not only us, but both teams may struggle to play good football.”
The winner will join Group A, along with Gerets’s former club Lekhwiya of Qatar, Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia and Persepolis of Iran.
apassela@thenational.ae
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