JEDDAH, 3 May 2006 — Al-Hilal’s hopes of qualifying for the AFC Champions League quarterfinals have become increasingly difficult and the squad’s fate also rests on the hand of other teams.

Hilal play host today to Group B leaders Al-Ain of UAE in a rematch at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.

Hilal’s hopes suffered a blow after losing 2-1 against Mash’al of Uzbekistan in Karshi in Uzbekistan. Hilal are in third place with 6 points, while Al-Ain are on top with 10 points followed by Mash’al in second place with 7 points. Al-Mina’a of Iraq are last and out of contention with zero points. Hilal need to collect the three win points today to increase their tally to 9 points and hold Al-Ain on 10 points. If Mash’al win their match against Al Mina’a, which is most likely, Mash’al will equal Al-Ain on 10 points granting Hilal win.

Hilal’s only hope in the final round matches to qualify is to win the last match against Al Mina’a on May 17 and hope that Al-Ain and Mash’al draw their last match in Al-Ain city in UAE. Under this scenario, Hilal can muster 12 points to qualify while leaving out Mash’al and Al-Ain on 11 points.

An Al-Ain win today, however, will dump Hilal out of the competition. Al-Ain then only need to either win or draw their last match to make it. Mash’al are still mathematically in contention, but they must win the matches against Mina’a and Al-Ain in UAE and score a lot of goals.

In Group D, Shabab face a difficult match against Al-Saad of Qatar in Doha. Shabab are in second place with 7 points and Al-Saad first with 10 points. Al-Arabi of Kuwait and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya of Iraq are third and fourth with 3 points each and with no hope of qualifying for the next round.

Shabab, inspired by their King’s Cup victory in the Saudi league and the last match win against Al-Arabi of Kuwait in Riyadh, will be looking to keep the streak going against Al-Saad in a difficult match in Qatar and put the sides level on 10 points. The Qatari team enjoy the home field advantage and Shabab need to score as many goals as they can in order to qualify. Shabab’s next match is against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya of Iraq on May 17 in Riyadh.

League Title More Important to Barca, Says Rijkaard

Reuters adds from Madrid: Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard believes that reaching the Champions League final has led some to undervalue his side’s achievements in the Primera Liga.

Victory over fifth-placed Celta Vigo today or Valencia’s failure to beat relegation-threatened Real Mallorca will guarantee the Catalans a second successive league title.

“I’ve always said that I think that winning the league is the more important of the two,” the Dutchman told a news conference yesterday. “Personally, I really value the fact that this team has the chance of winning the league two years in a row. It was our big objective for the season.

“It means that as a club Barca is in a good state of health and that the players are doing a good job.”