(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
It will be a clash of the Qatari titans when the Amir Cup title holders Al Duhail meet the reigning QNB Stars League champions Al Sadd in their AFC Champions League (ACL) Round of 16 first-leg match in Doha tomorrow.
The clash will take place at the recently-opened Al Janoub Stadium and the kickoff is set for 7.00pm.
Al Duhail qualified for the knockout stage by finishing as runners-up (nine points) in Group C, behind Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal (13 points).
Iran's Esteghlal and the UAE's Al Ain were the other teams in the group.
Al Sadd made it to the Round of 16 by topping Group D, that also consisted of Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli, Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor and Iran's Persepolis. The Wolves ended their group-stage campaign with a loss to Persepolis, but still were on top with 10 points.
Al Duhail, coached by Portuguese Rui Faria, held their pre-season camp in Portugal, will welcome back their star midfielder, Tunisian international Yousef Msakni, who spent a season at Qatar-owned KAS Eupen in Belgium.
The attacking midfielder was instrumental in Al Duhail's 2017-18 QSL triumph, before he ended the same season with a knee injury at the end.
The signing of Iraqi striker Mohanad Ali has bolstered Al Duhail, who have the services of Bassam Al Rawi, Almeoz Ali, Karim Boudiaf, Mehdi Benatia, Luis Martin, Ali Afif and Asim Madibo among others.
On the other hand, Al Sadd will be playing under their former captain and Spanish great Xavi Hernandez.
The FIFA World Cup winner Xavi arrived in Qatar in mid-2015 following a trophy-laden career with Barcelona, and powered Al Sadd to win many honours, and now he is guiding his former team-mates in his first competitive match after replacing Portuguese Jesualdo Ferreira ahead of the season.
Al Sadd, who recently camped in Spain, will see South Korean playmaker Nam Tae-Hee, who donned the Al Duhail colours for seven seasons winning many titles, make his debut for them as Xavi moved to coaching.
They also have in their ranks the likes of Akram Afif, Baghdad Bounedjah, Hassan Al Haydous, Abdelkarim Hassan, Hamed Ismail, Jung Woo-Young and Pedro.
Tomorrow's game will see Al-Sadd resume their hunt for a third Asian title. The Wolves reached the Round of 16 after topping Group D with 11 points from six games.
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