He plays his 120th AFC Champions League match
Al Ain faces Pakhtakor with offensive weapons and wings and limbs
Al Ain are looking forward to a strong start to qualify for the second round of the AFC Champions League. From the source
Al Ain team will play its 120th match in the history of its 17th participation in the AFC Champions League when it visits Pakhtakor at six o'clock in the evening at Mili Stadium in Tashkent in the first round of the group stage, and the team enters the match with the aim of victory to avoid the fever of the beginnings and strengthen its position early in the group relying on its offensive weapons and the launches of the wings and limbs.
Before today's meeting, the numbers of the two parties are equal at the level of participation in the Asian Championship, as the 'leader' played 119 matches, won 47, drew 35, lost 37, scored 177 goals, and conceded 157, and in return Pakhtakor played 114 matches, won 50, drew 23 and lost 41, and his players scored 159 goals and conceded 152.
The two sides met in four previous confrontations in the tournament, all of which were in the group stage, and while the hosts excel in historical confrontations by winning two matches, drawing and defeating, the last two confrontations between the two sides were the advantage for the 'leader', as he won in Tashkent 1-1 and drew 1-<> in the second leg in the «Dar Al-Zein».
The 'leader' relies on several weapons, including the offensive represented by the presence of Togolese scorer Laba Kodjo in addition to the start of the wings led by the Romanian duo Amir Atzili and Moroccan Sofiane Rahimi, and the team has defensive parties capable of reversing attacks in the presence of Bandar Al Ahbabi and Brazilian Eric Jorgenis.
Al Ain team concluded its preparations on the match field under the leadership of its Dutch coach Alfred Schroeder, who now has sufficient knowledge of his players and their technical abilities and how to employ them on the field, and it is unlikely that his squad in today's match will deviate from the familiar names that he has been relying on in the matches he played in the ADNOC League and League Cup.
• The last two matches in which Al Ain had the advantage by winning Tashkent 1-1 and drawing 1-<> in the second leg in Dar Al-Zein.
Ainawi masses flocked to Tashkent
Awad Al Ketbi, a member of the Steering Committee of Al Ain Football Club Company, said that the team's fans started arriving in Tashkent to support the team in the match, pointing out that they were keen to follow up with the logistics team in coordination with the host club and the South Korean match observer at the AFC to make the required preparations and provide the necessary security precautions in the places designated for Al Ainawiya.
Al Kaabi said in a statement carried by the official website of Al Ain Club: "We were keen to limit the number of Al Ain fans and discuss the possibility of communicating with them through the UAE Embassy in Uzbekistan to ensure their smooth entry to the match stadium without any challenges."