Lekhwiya will be hoping for a repeat of last week’s Emir’s Cup win over El Jaish when the Qatar Stars League (QSL) rival meet in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the 2016 AFC Champions League, at the Lekhwiya Stadium today.
Djamal Belmadi’s side advanced to the final of the local cup competition on Friday with a 2-1 win over El Jaish and the 2013 AFC Champions League quarter-finalists will welcome back Ahmed Maqsoud, who missed the club’s final group stage match against Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor due to suspension.
Defender Khaled Muftah will also be available after recovering from a recent injury, but young Qatar international striker Mohamed Muntari is ruled out after picking up a knock against El Jaish last week.
“We have had a tight schedule recently as we played several important matches in a short period of time,” said Belmadi. “The match (tomorrow) won’t be any different as it is important we get a good result, especially ahead of the final of the Emir Cup. “We have to show our fighting spirit again because the match will not be easy. Our concentration will be on the match and hopefully we will get the result that we are looking for.”
El Jaish, who are making their second appearance in the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League, will welcome defender Yasir Isa and midfielder Khaled Abdulraaof back to the team after both were ruled out of the final match in the group stage due to suspension.
“This is the fifth match that we would be playing against Lekhwiya this season. We recently met them in the Emir Cup,” said coach Sabri Lamouchi, who led El Jaish to a runners-up finish in the QSL this season.
“However, things will be different in the match tomorrow. We have a lot of motivation to avenge our defeat in the Emir Cup and we have prepared well. We had a good run in the group stage of the competition and our ambition is to continue with the same spirit and get a better result. The team that qualifies will only be known by the end of the second match and therefore we should get the best possible result tomorrow.”
Group B runners-up Lekhwiya qualified for the group stages via the play-offs, defeating Iran’s Naft Tehran, while Group D winners El Jaish became the first side into the last 16 with two games to spare as they secured just their second appearance in the tournament’s knockout stage.
Two-time quarter-finalists Lekhwiya are playing in the second phase of the continental competition for the third time. The match will kick off at 19:15 local time.