JEDDAH, 4 November 2005 — Defending champions Al-Ittihad admit they cannot take anything for granted when they face United Arab Emirates side Al Ain in the second leg of the AFC Champions League final tomorrow.
Sierra Leone’s former Inter Milan striker Mohammed Kallon grabbed a vital equalizer from the penalty spot five minutes from time in the first leg in the Emirates to give the Saudi side the upper hand. But Al Ittihad’s Romanian coach Anghel Iordanescu said: “We still have plenty of work to do in Jeddah.”
The return match was due to be held at the end of last month but the Oct. 31 date clashed with the holiest night in the Hijri month of Ramadan which forced the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to postpone the match to tomorrow. Kickoff time is 7:45 p.m. local time.
The postponement was good news for both camps whose players who were able to break their fast only four hours before the first leg.
“It was great news for us to reschedule the second leg especially after there were a little bit of uncertainty of playing in Jeddah,” said Ittihad midfielder Manaf Abushgeer.
“We didn’t care where we played but playing in Jeddah will be great especially as we’ll play in front of our fans,” added the Saudi international who skippered his side in the first leg in Al Ain.
Past form favors the Saudis who were 3-1 down in the first leg of last year’s final against Korea’s Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma before claiming an impressive 5-0 win in the second leg in Korea to lift Asia’s top club competition.
Iordanescu, who has held training behind closed doors this week, will replace the injured Ibrahim Soweid with team captain Mohammed Noor who didn’t start the first leg due to “tactical reasons.”
