Abu Dhabi: Al Jazira hope to improve on their past record when they open their campaign in the AFC Champions League against Qatar’s Al Rayyan at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium at 7.20 pm on Tuesday.
Despite being a consistent representative of the UAE in the continent’s major club tournament, Al Jazira have never gone beyond the knockout stage, their best-ever show coming in 2012. Al Jazira had beaten Al Rayyan, who were in their group twice (4-3 and 3-2) that year. The group also featured Esteghlal of Iran.
The three teams have been grouped together again this year with Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia being the fourth team.
Al Jazira’s two top scorers, Moroccan Abdul Aziz Barrada and UAE player Ali Mabkhoot, will be available for duty after missing their team’s domestic league match against Dubai due to suspensions. Walter Zenga’s team can also call on Felipe Caicedo and Jucilien Da Silva.
“We know the importance of the AFC Champions League and the teams taking part in it but we are ready. We are focused at the moment to achieve a positive result in our opener against Al Rayyan with due respect for them as one of Qatar’s best clubs,” Zenga said.
Nigerian Aiyegbeni Ykubu, who played in the English Premier League with Portsmouth, Everton, Blackburn, Middlesbrough and Leicester City is expected to lead Al Rayyan’s forward line-up, which may also feature Argentinean Lucho Gonzalez and Nigerian Kalu Uche.
Al Rayyan have taken part in the AFC Champions League five times and played 30 matches in all — winning six, drawing five and losing 19 of them. They have scored 23 goals and conceded 45 since 2005 and they have never gone beyond the group stage.
“We are happy to take part in the championship,” said Jesus Calderon, the assistant coach of Al Rayyan. “We know a great deal about Al Jazira and how strong they are and the foreign players they have. We have great respect for them but we also have a good team and aim to register a good start of our campaign.”
Al Jazira midfielder Sultan Bargash said at the media conference: “We the players are determined to do our best for our team because a good start to the campaign will boost our morale for the remaining matches of the group.”
