Al Rayyan’s hopes of keeping their 2019 AFC Champions League (ACL) round of 16 challenge alive hinge on whether they can get a positive result when they welcome Al Ittihad to Jassim bin Hamad Stadium today.
Sitting bottom of the group with three points, a win today would put Al Rayyan within a point of Al Ittihad, but qualification remains out of their hands as even with six points from their last two games, the Qataris will have to hope other Group B results go their way.
Gilson de Souza’s men come into the Matchday Five fixture buoyed with reaching the Qatar Amir Cup semi-final after defeating rivals Al Arabi on penalties.
Al Ittihad, meanwhile, suffered cup heart-break domestically. The two-time ACL winners were beaten at the King’s Cup final by Al Tawoun. They are also yet to reach safety in the league, sitting four points above the relegation zone with two games to go.
Jose Luis Sierra’s side are close to a first knock-out stage appearance in five years, and a win against Al Rayyan would all but confirm their qualification as they hold a superior head-to-head record over their Group B opponents PFC Lokomotiv.
Doing the double over Al Rayyan across the past two matchdays sent UAE’s Al Wahda to the top of the group with nine points. A point at home against PFC Lokomotiv will confirm the Emiratis’ place in the Round of 16.
The task will not be easy for coach Henk ten Cate’s men, who had lost their previous three encounters against Lokomotiv, including a 2-0 defeat this season and two heavy defeats in the 2018 edition; 5-0 in Tashkent and 4-1 in Abu Dhabi.
In Group A, a point will be enough for Islamic Republic of Iran’s Zobahan to seal their place in the Round of 16 when they travel to Iraq for the clash with Al Zawraa Club today.
Meanwhile, any result other than the three points in Riyadh means Al Wasl’s slim hopes of progression will vanish, leaving their opponents Al Nassr to contest the second qualification spot with Al Zawraa.
Zobahan had cemented their place at the top of the group table with a 2-0 win over Al Wasl on Matchday Four, keeping their unbeaten run intact. The Isfahan-based team now have 10 points, four points clear off their nearest chasers.
