The-afc.com/Doha


Lekhwiya coach Eric Gerets is determined to see his side bounce back from their opening loss to Al Ain when the Qatar Stars League leaders host Iran’s Tractorsazi Tabriz in their second Group C match in the AFC Champions League today.
The 2013 quarter-finalists began this year’s campaign badly with a 2-1 defeat in the United Arab Emirates and Gerets knows that they cannot afford any more slip-ups in their home opener at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.
“We want to make up for the defeat against Al Ain when we take on Tractorsazi,” said the Belgian, who saw his side beat Al Ahli 3-1 last Saturday to open up a seven-point lead in their domestic league.
“We are ready for the match and we have only one target which is to achieve the three points in order to return to contention in the group.
“We have fixed the mistakes of the Al Ain match and we want to have a positive result. All the matches will be very difficult and we must put in a lot of effort to win the match tomorrow.”
Korea Republic midfielder Nam Tae Hee is doubtful for the match after missing the match against Al Ahli with an injury but midfielder Luiz Junior is available after missing the trip to Al Ain through suspension.
Having beaten Saudi Arabia’s Al Itthad 1-0 in their opener thanks to a late solo effort by Karim Ansarifard, Tractorsazi will be looking to consolidate their position at the top of the group despite the absence of the suspended Ali Karimi.
Tractorsazi have yet to manage an away win in the competition and coach Antonio Oliveira expects a tough outing for his team against a Lekhwiya side hungry for a victory.
“We know that we are facing a difficult task against Lekhwiya who will be playing at home and will be looking for a first win in the competition. But we achieved an important victory in our previous match and we must maintain our good run,” said the Portuguese.

Group leaders Al Sadd takes
on UAE’s Al Ahli in Dubai
Meanwhile, in Dubai former AFC Champions League winners Al Sadd will lock horns with UAE league leaders Al Ahli in a Group D clash today.  
Al Sadd lead Group D after an opening 3-1 home win over Iranian side Sepahan but coach Hussein Amotta expects a much tougher test for his side on their visit to Dubai.
“There is no doubt that the match against Al Ahli will be very hard for us taking into consideration that our opponents are doing well in their league and also got a positive away result in their first match at Al Hilal,” said the Moroccan.
“We will be playing an open game and will show attacking football. Our aim is to maintain our position on top of the group so we want to get the three points. But a draw will still be good as we are playing away from home.”
Defender Ibrahim Majed did not travel with the team to Dubai as he is recovering from a cruciate ligament injury but Spanish forward Raul will return after recovering from a groin injury while midfielder Talal Al Bloushi is also back after missing the game against Sepahan following the death of his father.
Meanwhile, Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu is looking to build on their encouraging opening draw against Al Hilal when they take on  The UAE league leaders went close to recording their first ever away win in the competition after second-half goals by Luis Jiminez and Grafite put them 2-0 up in Riyadh only for Al Hilal to hit back with a Nassir Al Shamrani brace in a 2-2 draw.
With Al Ahli team holding a six-point lead in the UAE league, Olariou insisted that the domestic championship is his team’s first priority although they are still determined to give a good account of themselves in the AFC Champions League match at the Rashed Stadium.
“The match is very important for us and we must try to win it. We have big pressure as our schedule is heavy but we will try our best to achieve positive results although our main concern now is the local league where we are on top of the table,” said the Romanian.