FORMER CHAMPION FOURSOME SET TO LOCK HORNS IN ACL QUARTER-FINALS

Former Asian champions Al Ain, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Sadd will face off on Tuesday as the AFC Champions League returns with the quarter-final first legs.

Inaugural AFC Champions League winners Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates entertain two-time winners Al Ittihad from Saudi Arabia at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in a repeat of the 2005 final, while in another re-match from the group stage, 2011 winners Al Sadd from Qatar travel to Riyadh to take on fellow two-time Asian champions Al Hilal.

Al Ain, who emerged victorious in 2003, sealed a return to the last eight of the AFC Champions League for the first time since 2006 having won Group C ahead of Al Ittihad before edging out fellow Arabian Gulf League side Al Jazira in the last 16.

“I expect them to be hard matches. Al Ittihad have a very young, fast and dangerous team who enjoy great support from their fans. We have to be very careful in defence and try to impose our style on the game,” said Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic.

“Their key players are Fahad Al Muwallad and Mukhtar Fallatah. Al Muwallad is a very fast player and Fallatah a striker that can score goals with ease. I will prepare my team to stop them, though, and try and starve these two in particular of possession.

“Their counterattack is a particular threat and we will have to find a way to nullify that. It will be a difficult task, but I believe in my team and that we will qualify for the semi-finals.”

Al Ittihad had endured a turbulent start to their domestic and continental campaigns as Uruguayan coach Juan Verzeri departed after just two months to be replaced by former Saudi Arabia U-22 coach Khalid Al Koroni following February’s defeat by Iran’s Tractorsazi Tabriz in their AFC Champions League opener.

But 2004 and 2005 champions Al Ittihad earned a place in the last eight for a third time in four years after claiming four points against Al Ain in the group stage before edging out fellow Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab 4-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16.

Also on Tuesday, Al Sadd will look to gain revenge for a humbling 5-0 defeat by Al Hilal in the group stage of the AFC Champions League earlier this year.

Lhoussaine Ammouta’s side were able to recover from the defeat and beat UAE’s Al Ahli on the final Matchday to advance as runners-up from Group B behind Al Hilal before edging out Iran’s Foolad Khouzestan on away goals in the last 16.

“I think that before 2011, no one in Asia looked at Al Sadd like a serious opponent or contender for the AFC Champions League title. But now, after lifting the trophy in 2011, we can feel a lot more respect from other teams in all matches,” said Ammouta, who was part of the coaching staff three years ago as Al Sadd beat Korea Republic’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on penalties to add to their 1989 Asian Club Championship success.

“Every game during that campaign I was learning many new things. I made a lot of observations and notes about the teams we faced and, of course, I remember the fantastic atmosphere after our big victory in the final.”

However, Al Sadd will have their AFC Champions League credentials thoroughly tested against an Al Hilal side who shared a 2-2 draw with in Doha at the start of the group stage before Nassir Al Shamrani’s hat-trick secured a convincing win in the return fixture in Riyadh.

“In the first match against Al Hilal we played really well, we created many opportunities to score but unfortunately we couldn’t kill the game off. We also made mistakes that resulted in Al Hilal’s second goal, and so we finished the game with a 2-2 scoreline,” added Ammouta.

“I was very confident that in the second meeting we could beat Al Hilal, but in football when you concede a goal in the first minute and two more goals shortly after, then you know that this is not your day.

“We were very disappointed, of course, but we had to go forward and work hard, especially on our tactical and mental sides.

“I expect this important quarter-final between Al Sadd and Al Hilal to certainly be an interesting game. We respect them, but I believe that we have the qualities within our side to beat them.” 

Two-time Asian Club Championship winners Al Hilal though, have since changed coaches with Romanian Laurentiu Reghecampf replacing Sami Al Jaber at the helm of the 13-time Saudi Pro League champions.

And despite having also won the Asian Cup Winners’ Cup and Asian Super Cup on two occasions, Al Hilal have yet to achieve success in the AFC Champions League era with an appearance in the semi-finals in 2010 their best showing in nine previous campaigns.

Following Tuesday’s first legs, the return fixtures will take place a week later to determine who progresses to the semi-finals with the remaining quarter-finals taking place on Wednesday as Australia’s Western Sydney Wanderers entertain defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande, while 2013 finalists FC Seoul face fellow K-League Classic side Pohang Steelers.