Amman — Al-Faisaly Football Club opens its campaign in the AFC Champions League Two competition this evening, when it travels to face Qatar's Al-Rayyan club, at 9:15 PM, at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, as part of the first round of the Asian tournament.
اضافة اعلان
The "Lion of Jordanian Football" is looking to secure a good start in its Asian debut, and return from the Qatari capital with a positive result that boosts its chances of competing for one of the two qualifying spots to the second round, despite the difficult task awaiting it against one of Qatar's strong teams, which holds a technical edge, alongside a group of foreign players with high technical ability.
Al-Faisaly's technical staff, led by Egyptian head coach Tarek Mostafa, understand that the match against Al-Rayyan needs to be approached with a high degree of realism and focus, especially given the technical gaps between the two teams. This prompted the technical staff, during training sessions held by the team in Qatar, to focus on tactical aspects, working on setting the right style and plan for dealing with the Qatari team's key strengths, trying to limit its threat, while also looking to exploit any weaknesses that might appear during the match.
Al-Faisaly's training sessions over the past few days have shown clear focus on defensive organization and the quick transition from defense to attack, in addition to working on ball-building play and pressing the ball carrier, with the technical staff trying to settle on the lineup best able to execute tactical instructions and come away from the match with the best possible result.
Al-Faisaly, on the other hand, faces some challenges, namely that the team still needs more cohesion among its players, especially given the changes made to its squad composition, alongside the need to reach optimal physical fitness. The technical staff, led by Tarek Mostafa, are expected to have worked over the recent period to narrow these gaps as much as possible, and to raise the level of cohesion and readiness ahead of the Asian fixture.
On the morale front, "Al-Azraq's" (the Blue's) training sessions in Qatar have appeared to be in good shape, with players showing great enthusiasm and focus, amid a clear desire to deliver a performance befitting Al-Faisaly's name and history, and to achieve a positive result that gives the team a strong boost at the start of its campaign, and helps strengthen its chances of competing for the group's two qualifying spots.
Al-Faisaly's lineup features a number of players the technical staff is counting on to make the difference, most notably Ahmad Ersan, Anas Al-Awadat, Ihsan Haddad, Abdullah Al-Fakhouri, Anas Badawi, and Burkinabe player Saidou Simpore, alongside Omani player Salah Al-Yahyai, with the experience of these names and their ability to handle big matches being one of the key assets the technical staff can rely on in facing Al-Rayyan.
On the other hand, there are doubts surrounding the participation of midfielder Noor Al-Rawabdeh, who is suffering from a back injury, with the team awaiting news of his recovery and readiness to take part in the match, which could be a significant absence from Al-Faisaly's lineup, given the role the player fills in the midfield area.
On the opposite side, Qatar's Al-Rayyan club enters the Asian match with high morale, given the team's strong results domestically, most recently a big 3-0 win over Al-Ahli Qatar, a result that boosted the team's morale ahead of entering continental competition.
Al-Rayyan has so far played four matches in the Qatar Stars League, winning three and drawing one, without suffering any defeat, results that reflect the state of stability the team is enjoying domestically, and confirm the difficulty of the match awaiting Al-Faisaly at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
Al-Rayyan currently sits second in the Qatar Stars League standings with 10 points, behind leaders Al-Sadd, which gives it an extra boost ahead of its first match in the AFC Champions League Two, especially as the team looks to continue its positive results on both the domestic and continental levels.
Al-Rayyan is led by Spanish coach Vicente Moreno, considered one of the coaches with a clear style in building a team, relying on ground passing, building from the back, and trying to impose his style through possession and ball circulation, alongside having tactical flexibility that allows him to make necessary adjustments according to the course of the match and the nature of the opponent.
The Qatari team has a group of players capable of posing a threat, most notably goalkeeper Mahmoud Abu Nada, Jassim Jaber, David Garcia, and Gabriel Pereira, alongside Qatari striker of Egyptian descent Ahmad Alaa Eddine, giving Al-Rayyan multiple options across different lines.
Resource: Al-Ghad. Reporting: Mohammad Arabiyat
