Al Wahda confident ahead of Esfahan clash

AFCCL – There is an air of confidence in the Al Wahda camp as the United Arab Emirates club prepare to take on Sepahan on Wednesday in the first leg of the AFC Champions League semi-finals at Foolad Shahr Stadium.

Having secured their place in the final four by defeating Saudi giants Al Hilal on away goals after a hard-fought 1-1 draw in the second leg of the quarter-finals at King Fahd International Stadium last week, Al Wahda will be hoping for another good away performance in Esfahan to give themselves a platform to build on for the return match in Abu Dhabi on October 24.

Forward Ismail Matar, scorer of Al Wahda’s crucial goal in Riyadh, is determined to see his side reach the final of a continental championship for the first time in their history.

"I hope that our players can put in a similar performance to the one that we had against Al Hilal," said the UAE international striker. "We have to put on a good show in this game in order to have some sort of advantage for the second leg.

"We have been focussed on this match since defeating Al Hilal. We want to get past Sepahan first and then think about the final but our dream is to win this competition and qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup."

But having seen Sepahan prevail on penalties against Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale in their quarter-final, Al Wahda midfielder Mohamed Othman is aware that the UAE side have to treat the Iranian club with plenty of respect.

"Sepahan are a strong team especially as they are now in the final four of the competition," said Othman. "We have to respect them and be careful when we go into the match.

"The game in Riyadh was us great experience, particularly for our young players and we are now not afraid of playing in front of a big crowd.

“Playing in front of their home crowd will also put added pressure on Sepahan and we will try our best to take advantage of that."

Tawfeeq Abdulrazzaq, who came on as a substitute at half time in Riyadh, expects Sepahan to give his team a sterner test than the one they got from Al HIlal.

"The game against Sepahan should be tougher than the one that we had against Al Hilal," he said.

"The game will be difficult because we are now at the semi-final stage and both teams will be trying their best to edge closer to the title.

"Iranian teams usually have strong and physical players and this might give them the edge.

"But this is a great opportunity for us because it is our first time in the semi-finals of the competition and all of our players will be giving their best in order to get a positive result for us to take back home for the second leg."