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Al Jazira hope to end campaign with a win

ABU DHABI — Al Jazira will be looking for a first win to round off their AFC Champions League campaign when they take on defending Iran Pro League champions Esteghlal in their final Group A fixture at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday.

Al Jazira are already out of contention for a spot in the last 16 with Esteghlal and Qatar’s Al Gharafa having already made the cut. Jazira have had a pretty average campaign, having lost four games and have only one point to show from the goalless draw against Esteghlal in the away game.

With hope left in the AFC Champions League, Jazira’s eyes are trained on the domestic front where they still have a slender chance of clinching the UAE Pro-League. Jazira are five points adrift of arch-rivals and city neighbours Al Wahda with three games left in the UAE Pro-League.

But coach Abel Braga said that he considered the AFC Champions League to be important and hoped they could finish off with a win. “AFC Champions League games are always important. I consider them to be important. We will give it all we got. We still have time to prepare for our game against Al Ahli,” Braga said on Tuesday.

Al Jazira take on Dubai-based Al Ahli away in their next Pro-League game on May 2.

Braga said that injuries to his players, especially his foreign players have hit them hard in their campaign in the UAE Pro-League as well as the AFC Champions League. But he felt that his bench strength has stood up to the challenge to a certain extent.

“We have had many injuries this season. We have had some tough situations, especially with some of our foreign players getting injured. We have had to use some of our young players and they have filled in very well,” said Braga.

Braga said that Michael Beauchamp will figure prominently in the line-up on Wednesday. “Michael Beauchamp will play as a main player tomorrow. He has a contract till the end of the season and we will evaluate our foreign players after that,” Braga said.

Braga praised his opponents Esteghlal.

“It is the fourth time that we will be playing against Esteghlal. We played against them twice last year. They are a good team with some high performance players, especially when they play in Iran. They are a strong team and they deserve to qualify,” he said.

Player Yasir Matar said: “We are prepared to face Esteghlal. Tomorrow’s game will help us prepare for the remaining UAE Pro-League games.”

Meanwhile, Esteghlal, who have already qualified and topped the group, aim to finish in that position.

Coach Samad Marfavi said: “It is an important game for us. We have qualified for the round of 16 but we want to top the table. We want to put up a good show.”

About Al Jazira, Marfavi said: “Al Jazira are a good team. They are technically very good. They are in a good position in the UAE Pro-League. But this game is important for us. We want to top the group.”

Marfavi said his side had no injury worries and he had a full and fit squad at his disposal. “We have a full strength and a fit squad. I know Al Jazira are fighting to win the UAE Pro-League and may not field some of their main players. Irrespective of that, they are still a good and strong team and I will put my best players against them,” he said.

Player Farhad Majidi too echoed his coach. “We are looking at the top spot in the group so that we can play the round of 16 game at home. We have good support back home and it would be fantastic to play in front of our home crowd,” said Majidi, who played for UAE club Al Ain, when they won the inaugural AFC Champions League in 2003.

james@khaleejtimes.com