JEDDAH, 9 May 2007 — Al-Hilal and Al-Shabab resume their AFP Champions League campaign today when they play second leg matches against separate opponents
In Group B, Hilal are looking to put an end to the competition and qualify early from the group by winning the match against Kuwait of Kuwait in Kuwait and secure the game three points.
Hilal are currently on top of the group with 7 points from two wins and one draw in three matches.
Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan are second with 3 points from three matches in which they won once and lost twice. Kuwait bring up the rear in the group with one point from one draw and one defeat in two matches.
A quick look at the standings indicated Hilal as the team with the best chances to qualify. Hilal need only to win or draw to officially advance to the next round.
Hilal team captain Sami Al-Jaber said that Kuwait are a strong team and their reputation as the Kuwaiti league champions is enough does not count for nothing.
He said, “We will play hard to win the game three points. It is sad that the midfielder Muhammad Al-Shalhoub is not playing due to injury and he is a very effective player in the team.”
In Group D, the other Riyadh-based team, Shabab, are facing a difficult task and a tough competition from the Sepahan of Iran and Al-Ain of UAE. Shabab lead the group with 7 points from four matches on two wins, one draw and one defeat. With the same points and in second place because of goal difference are Sepahan and in third place are Al-Ain with five points from one win, two draws and one defeat. The last in the team standings are Ittihad of Syria with two points and are officially out of the competition.
All three teams still in contention are expected to compete hard to try and win the only quarterfinal spot at stake in the group. Shabab will be looking to take advantage playing at home to Al-Ain in Riyadh.
In the other match, Sepahan face Ittihad of Syria in an easy match that is expected to end in favor of the Iranian team. Khaled Al-Baltan, president of Shabab club, said that the match is very important. He said, “If we lose the match, then that means our team will face an elimination from the competition. We will play with maximum force to secure the game three points.”
