ACL MD2 – Group B: Zobahan vs. Lekhwiya [Preview]

AFC – ISFAHAN, Zobahan coach Yahya Golmohammadi will take nothing for granted when his team takes on Qatar’s Lekhwiya on Tuesday as the former Iran defender looks to secure back-to-back wins in the 2016 AFC Champions League.

Mehdi Rajabzadeh’s solitary goal in Doha last week earned Zobahan all three points against the Qatar Stars League champions and the teams meet again in Group B with Golmohammadi’s side well rested after not featuring in domestic action over the weekend.

“We had a good start to the AFC Champions League and earned a crucial win in Qatar,” said Golmohammadi. “We are ready to put on a good performance after having a good rest.

“I hope we play reasonably well tomorrow. We should be realistic about this match, there is no guarantee that we will win it and if we lose our focus against Lekhwiya we cannot expect to win the match. They are very professional.

“We should remain focused in both defence and attack during the 90 minutes. We are in very good condition both mentally and psychologically.

“Lekhwiya is a well-known team in Asia and has professional players. We cannot afford to make any mistakes against them. We should not give them space. We should not give them free-kick opportunities.

“In tournaments like this, the final weeks are decisive. Lekhwiya collected only one point in the opening two weeks last season but finally qualified from their group. We have a marathon ahead of us and it’s still too soon to predict which teams can qualify.”

Lekhwiya coach Djamel Belmadi denied his side’s confidence has been affected by their 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Qatar Stars League leaders Al Rayyan on Friday, the club’s fourth defeat in their last five games.

“Our domestic matches have nothing to do with the AFC Champions League and the circumstances are different,” said the Algerian coach.

“The first leg was only half of our showdown against Zobahan. That game was closely contested and Zobahan didn’t play open football, which of course for a visiting side is natural.

“It’s difficult to predict tomorrow’s match and certainly both teams will play with different strategies. We will try to be better than in the first leg and our players have good experience and self-confidence. We underestimate no team and this is what we are known for in Qatar.”