(MENAFN- Gulf Times) A confident Al Duhail flew to Tashkent by a chartered flight yesterday for their AFC Champions League encounter against Uzbek giants Lokomotiv, barely a day after they wrapped up the QNB Stars League title with an emphatic 5-0 win over Al Kharaitiyat.
Djamel Belmadi's side have been relentless in their pursuit of excellence this season, winning the league with an unbeaten run spanning 20 matches and also serving notice to their continental rivals with their display in three matches of the Champions League.
Despite their hectic schedule, coach Belmadi exuded confidence in his team's fitness levels, saying they had the resources to beat Lokomotiv a second time in two weeks, which will put them in the knockouts of the prestigious event.
'Last week we won 3-2 in Doha and I can see no reason why we shouldn't beat them a second time on Monday, the Algerian said after his team's win against Al Kharaitiyat on Friday night.
'We have a very fit set of players and our bench strength is also good, so we can deal with these situations, he added.
The team's defender Mohamed Musa also echoed the coach's sentiments, saying Al Duhail will do their best to beat Lokomotiv again and clinch a spot in the knockouts.
'Winning the QNB Stars League will motivate us for the match against Lokomotiv. We are here to win, he said.
'This is our first time in the AFC Champions League and we want to make a good impression. We are an ambitious team and we are also a close knit unit. 'It's this team spirit and togetherness that will see us through.
Winger Mohamed Ismail said that the team will avoid the mistakes which allowed Lokomotiv to score two goals in the second half last week.
'Sure we made mistakes but I am confident we won't repeat them on Monday because Lokomotiv can be a dangerous team in front of their home fans.
Meanwhile, Saudi giants Al Hilal arrived in Doha yesterday for their second leg clash against Michael Laudrup's Al Rayyan tomorrow. They drew the first leg 1-1in Riyadh last week, but a home victory in the reverse fixture would leave the Qatari side in a strong position with two games left to play.
Last year's runners-up Al Hilal are currently at the foot of the table after two draws and one loss, but a win over Al Rayyan would mean a 10th successive knockout stage berth would be well within their sights.
Al Gharafa take on Saudi side Al Ahli on Tuesday when the sides face off once more after their 1-1 draw last week.
Meanwhile, Al Sadd will be aiming to salvage their pride on Tuesday after suffering a 1-0 loss to Uzbekistan's Nasaf last week and missing out on the QNB Stars League title.
The 2011 champions are tied on six points with Nasaf and Persepolis and a victory would surely stand them in good stead as far as their chances of qualifying for the last 16 are concerned.
Persepolis had few problems in overcoming the group's bottom side Al Wasl 2-0 in Tehran and will now look for back-to-back wins against the Emirati side with two tough fixtures still to come.
Last updated: March 11 2018 01:00 AM
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