Duhail aim for fresh start after loss in opener

Al Duhail will look to bounce back from their opening match defeat when they take in Sepahan FC in a Group D match at the AFC Champions League in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia, today. Al Duhail had lost to hosts Al Taawoun. Edmilson Junior opened the scoring in that game in exquisite fashion, before Leandre Tawamba chipped the keeper five minutes later for the equaliser. Both sides fought tooth and nail but it was Al Taawoun who found a late winner thanks to former Real Madrid midfielder Alvaro Medran. “The next match will be very difficult against a team that won the first match. We played well against Al Taawoun, but unfortunately we lost the match," said Al Duhail head coach Hernan Crespo.“We made some mistakes against Al Taawon, especially when we conceded the first goal from a quick counter attack and in order to win, we have to play well throughout the 90 minutes. We have worked on improving the mentality of the players during the past two days, but changing the mentality of the players in two days is not easy and requires a lot of effort”.Al Duhail are in third place with no points and only ahead of Pakhtakor on goal difference, while Sepahan topped the group on goal difference over Al Taawoun. Iran’s Sepahan will know that a win could consolidate their position as the midway point looms, while the Duhail will need to pick things up fast if they are to stand a chance of avoiding a repeat of AFC Champions League 2021 group stage elimination.The two sides have met before in the AFC Champions League all the way back in 2012, when Lehkwiya, the club Al Duhail are a phoenix of, lost the first game in Group C 2-1 before Bakari Kone’s 90th minute strike gave the Qatar Stars League side a win in the reverse fixture. Crespo’s charges will need to keep an extra eye on Moghanlou - the IR Iran forward has continued a scoring streak that stretches back to the last edition when he represented Persepolis, scoring four goals in the group stage, three of which came against Al Duhail’s fellow countrymen Al Rayyan SC. Al Duhail forward Michael Olunga missed the opening match through injury, but he enjoys playing against Iranian opposition. His only AFC Champions League campaign to date saw him come up against Esteghlal FC twice within three days in the previous edition and he was destructive, producing a hat-trick in the first game, and a brace in the second.Al Gharafa’s Stramaccioni wary of Ahal’s set-piecesAndrea Stramaccioni has warned his Al Gharafa side to be cautious against Ahal FC’s ‘deadly’ set-pieces when the two teams meet in Group C of the AFC Champions League 2022 at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah today. The Turkmenistan side scored their first AFC Champions League goal from a corner and looked threatening from dead ball situations against Al Ahli in their opener. Having gained more insights into Ahal FC’s style of play, Stramaccioni will rely on his sturdy defence that kept a clean sheet against Foolad Khouzestan FC of Islamic Republic of Iran in their opener. “They (Ahal FC) are a dangerous team and very fast. They play in a high rhythm and they are deadly with set-pieces. They have players with good skills on set-pieces so we have to adapt and be mentally ready for tomorrow. We didn’t have a lot of information about Ahal FC but now we see a very well organised team with most of their players in the national team. Our behavior will be the same, we will be tough in defence and dangerous in front,” said the Italian. Ahal FC survived wave after wave of attacks from their Emirati opponents but as the match progressed, the debutants slowly imposed their style of play to eventually seal their first point and goal in the AFC Champions League. Defensive midfielder Serdar Geldiyev said the draw has given Ahal FC a boost in confidence. “We played a difficult match with Al Shabab but we must forget our last match and prepare for every game like it is a final. For us, playing in this big competition is historic and it is a big experience for every player to play in the AFC Champions League.”Head coach Rovshen Muhadov is fully aware that his Ahal FC side will no longer have the element of surprise against other teams. “Now all the teams know each other. They know the strength of all the teams. Perhaps this was our main advantage in the first game but now they have their analysis and this is why the next match is even more important than before,” said Muhadov.