Watch the Al-Shabab and Al-Duhail match, broadcast live, Yalla Shoot, today 02-23-2023 in the AFC Champions League. Al-Duhail hopes to take advantage of the “weakness” of Al-Shabab when the Qatari league leaders face their Saudi counterpart in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League on Thursday, while Al-Hilal, the defending champion, awaits a difficult challenge. The confrontation against the Iranian Foolad Khuzestan.
Youth coach Vicente Moreno spoke about the weakness of his team, who are playing the match in Qatar.
Because of the Qatar World Cup at the end of last year, the matches of the sixteenth round of the West Asian section were postponed after the end of the Eastern competitions last August, and the federation decided to celebrate sixteen and eighteen. Semi-finals in Qatar.
Al Duhail needed penalties to defeat Al Rayyan, while Al Shabab defeated Nasaf of Uzbekistan last Sunday.
Moreno said in a press conference: “We are facing a team that plays at home and it is a good team with great players and coaches. We are aware of the difficulties we face, all competitors are strong in these roles, but (Al Duhail) is playing. At home, which is our weakness.”
Watch the Al-Shabab and Al-Duhail match broadcast live
The match will be a confrontation between the owners of the strongest attack in the group stage in the western section, as Al-Shabab scored 18 goals against 17 for Al-Duhail.
But Al-Shabab, who shares the top spot in the Saudi League with Al-Nasr and Al-Ittihad, conceded once on its way to the quarter-finals.
On the other hand, the best result achieved by Al-Duhail in the tournament was reaching the quarter-finals on three previous occasions, but it was the third under the name Al-Duhail, while the first was under the name of Lekhwiya in 2013.
Al-Duhail returned from a modest start in the domestic league due to its launch before the World Cup without international players, but now leads the championship, one point behind Al-Arabi, after winning its last six matches.
Al Duhail coach Hernan Crespo said: “We are proud to have reached the quarter-finals for the third time. We performed well in the group stage and we are looking forward to qualifying for the semi-finals.”
Watch the Al Duhail and Al Shabab match broadcast live
Crespo hopes to take advantage of the Western Conference matches being held in Qatar.
He added, “We have a great chance of reaching the final, because of the matches that are held until the semi-finals in Doha.”
Al-Hilal continued its impressive performance in the Club World Cup, where it reached the final before losing to European champions Real Madrid.
Al-Hilal easily defeated Shabab Al-Ahly Dubai in the Round of 16 to keep their hopes of winning the continental championship again, but they face an opponent who mostly relies on their solid defense to compensate for their attacking problems.
Foolad has not scored more than one goal in seven tournament matches so far, winning four times, 1-0, including the round of 16 match against Saudi Arabia’s Al-Faisaly.
Al Hilal coach Ramon Diaz said: “Facing Iranian clubs is always difficult. We will play the match as if it were a final.”
The semi-final matches will be held next Sunday, where the winner will qualify to face Urawa Red Diamonds Japan in the final over two matches, on April 29 and May 6.
Spanish youth coach Vicente Moreno highlighted the difficulty of facing Al-Duhail, Qatar, scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League.
Vicente said during his speech at the press conference held today, Wednesday: “The match is difficult, and all the qualified teams are very strong, and we will face a team that plays in its stadium and in front of its fans.”
And he continued, “I did not prefer one team over another in this role, and the Al-Duhail team I know well and studied well. He has a great coach and professional players at a high level and we just have to think about winning.”
He added, “The youth team presents excellent levels in the Saudi League and is considered one of the strong clubs, and the Asian Championship is an irreplaceable opportunity, especially since the youth team lost access to this role years ago.”
Regarding the position of Brazilian striker Carlos Junior on participating against Al Duhail, Moreno explained: “He is an important player in the youth squad and is now with the team, but it is difficult now to talk about his participation or not.”
The draw for the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League took place on Tuesday, where Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia faced Foolad Khuzestan of Iran, and Al-Duhail of Qatar against Al-Shabab of Saudi Arabia.
The quarter-final matches will be held on Thursday at the Qatari Al-Thumama and Al-Janoub stadiums, which host the Western Region qualifiers, according to the classification system.
The semi-final matches will be held next Sunday, where the winner will qualify to face the representative of the East, Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan, the first and second on April 29 and back in Urawa on May 6.
Al-Hilal reached the quarter-finals by defeating Shabab Al-Ahly of the United Arab Emirates 3-1, while Foolad Khuzestan defeated Al-Faisaly of Saudi Arabia with a goal.
Al-Duhail was the first to qualify from the Western Region for the quarter-finals, after defeating compatriot Al-Rayyan 6-7 on penalties, after being tied 0-0 on Sunday in regular time and 1-1 in extra time. Al-Shabab joined the winner against Uzbekistan’s Nasaf with two goals.
