Abu Dhabi: Al Jazira will host Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium here on Wednesday (8.30pm kick-off) in a battle to decide which team tops Group A of the AFC Asian Champions League.
Both teams have already secured their places in the round of 16, with Al Shabab leading with 12 points and Al Jazira second on 10. Whoever wins the group, which also features Esteghlal of Iran and Al Rayyan of Qatar, will earn the advantage of playing at home in the second leg of the first knockout stage.
Al Jazira became the first UAE team to beat a Saudi Arabian club away on March 11, when they defeated Al Shabab 3-1. That result will give the team belief they can repeat the trick this week, but the players will be tired after playing two difficult encounters in the past five days. They met Al Rayyan in Doha last Wednesday before playing and losing to Al Ahli in the Arabian Gulf Cup final on Saturday.
Al Jazira could face UAE rivals Al Ain in the second round on May 6, if they fail to overhaul Al Shabab and the Garden City club maintain their leadership of Group C.
“We are prepared to face Al Shabab and we know how difficult the match will be, despite the fact that we defeated them at home.” Ali Khasif, the Al Jazira goalkeeper and captain, said on Tuesday. “We will do our best to win the match to finish on top of the group, but it is already good for us to have secured our berth in the second round irrespective of the result of this match.”
