Abu Dhabi: Bani Yas will face Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad on Wednesday evening in a crucial match in Group B of the AFC Champions League.

Al Ittihad, who won the championship in 2004 and 2005, lead the group with a maximum nine points from three matches, followed by debutants Bani Yas and Pakhtakor from Uzbekistan with four points each.

Al Arabi from Qatar are bottom of the standings with no points - they face Pakhtakor at home on Wednesday.

Bani Yas’ Argentine coach Gabriel Calderon led Al Ittihad between 2008 and 2010 and he used his knowledge of the team in the return match in Jeddah earlier this month when Bani Yas fought fiercely before going down to a single goal.

The Abu Dhabi club have improved greatly under the guidance of the Argentine coach and are on a high after reaching the final of the President’s Cup domestically by beating powerhouse Al Wahda in the semi-finals and Al Ain before that.

The team’s morale was also boosted by the return of midfielder Amer Abdul Rahman following his recovery from an injury that kept him out for more than a month, while their Spanish playmaker Francesco Yeste has shown his old brilliance in the league matches they played recently.

Yousuf Jaber, the team’s injured captain and defender, is expected to return on Tuesday night after missing his club’s last league match against Al Nasr, while Mohammad Fawzi will also be available.

The problem of the team will be in goal, because of the lack of experience of Mohammad Khalaf, and the right side of defence, where Sultan Al Ghafiri operates, the midfielder covering the absence of his injured colleague Saqr Idris.

“We have the quality to go further in the AFC Champions League,” Fawzi Basheer, the team’s stand-in captain and midfielder, said on Monday. “We are playing at home and we should win the match after losing in Jeddah because of lack of experience. We have good players and I am sure, if we show our best, we can win the points.”

Also on Wednesday, winless Al Shabab bid to keep their hopes of qualifying from Group D alive when they visit Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal.

Al Jazira, with three wins out of three in Group A, can make sure of their place in the knockout rounds on Wednesday, when they host Iranian side Esteghlal.

Al Nasr are also in action in Saudi Arabia this week as they tackle Al Ahli in a Group C match on Wednesday.