Dubai: Al Ahli’s Portuguese playmaker Hugo Viana is brimming with confidence as his side take on Qatar’s Al Sadd in a crucial Group D encounter of the AFC Champions League in Doha on Tuesday.
A day after guiding the Red Knights to a well-fought 2-1 win over Al Jazira to lift their third trophy of the season, the 31-year-old Portuguese now wants to add the continental competition success to their list.
The two qualifying spots in Group D are wide open with Al Ahli tied at the top with Sepahan of Iran with seven points each, while Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal and Al Sadd occupy the next two places with six and five points respectively.
While Al Ahli will take on Al Sadd, Al Hilal will be hoping for full points at home against their Iranian opponents on Tuesday.
Al Jazira and Al Ain, the other two UAE clubs in the competition, have already sealed their places in the knock-out stages from Group A and C respectively.
“It’s very important for us to first put behind us this win [Arabian Gulf Cup] and concentrate on what lies before us. Surely it would have been better going into the final with a win against Al Hilal last week, but since that has not happened we need to go all out and win the three points against Al Sadd,” he said.
Viana has been a crucial element in Al Ahli’s domestic success this season. The Red Knights have been targeting a clean sweep after opening with the Super Cup in September, followed by the league and Cup triumphs this month. The Dubai club’s sweep will be complete at the season-closing President’s Cup where they will face Al Ain in the final on May 18.
“It has been a busy season so far, but then that is a normal thing in the life of a professional player,” Viana said.
“The first good thing we did was win the league and that helped us keep the trust in each other and help each other out on the field during the Cup final. Once Grafite had scored the equaliser we all knew that it was a matter of time before the match-winner would come for us,” the 31-year-old Portuguese added.
Viana still has one more year left on his contract with Al Ahli, but he wants to make this season one to remember in the history of UAE football. “We are not just a team. We are a family. When we fail we go down together and when we win, we are in it together as well. This is the spirit within the team and everyone is thinking of just helping out achieve the goals we have set for the club,” the two-time World Cup star said.
Elsewhere, Al Ain are host Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad from 7.30pm on Tuesday and Al Jazira are at home to Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab from 8.30pm on Wednesday. Al Ain and Al Jazira have already qualified to the second round but will need results in their final group games to top the group and face more favourable second round opponents.
