Abu Dhabi: It will be a Herculean task for Al Ain to tame Al Duhail at home and breach their 4-2 lead in the return leg of the AFC Champions League Round of 16 match and qualify for the quarter-finals.
The action starts at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on Tuesday at 7.30pm.
Al Duhail are on an incredible run in this tournament and is yet to lose a match. They also come into the contest by extending their win record in the local league to 19 games following their win against Al Sadd and having sealed a place in the final of the Emir Cup.
Al Ain need to score three goals at least to progress. While both key players Hussein El Shahat and Mohanad Salem are back in the squad, Al Ain will be missing the services of Brazilian Caio when they need him the most. The ace striker pocketed a needless red card in the injury time to leave the side depleted for this tie. In Caio’s absence Al Ain’s comeback will heavily rely on striker Marcus Berg. The Swedish international didn’t score in the first leg but have scored six times in the group stage. He bagged an impressive 25 goals in 21 UAE Pro League appearances and walked away with the top scorer’s award.
The host team has received another boost with Lucas Mendes returning to the squad after suspension.
The 4-2 win in last week’s first leg handed Al Duhail the advantage, with goals from Ismail Mohammad, Youssef El Arabi, Nam Tae-hee and Almoez Ali helping ensure a seventh straight win in the competition for the Qataris.
They will be more than happy to host Al Ain knowing that a draw at home will be enough to take them through to the quarter-finals.
Head coach Djamel Belmadi’s side has also now scored 17 times in the continental showpiece and if they make it to the last eight, it will be the third time in the club’s history.
