Manama: Al Hidd coach Salman Shareedah sounded a defiant rallying call to his players as the Bahrainis seek to avoid elimination from Group B of the 2015 AFC Cup on Tuesday when they meet Iraq’s Al Shorta.
Defeat would almost certainly spell the end of Al Hidd’s participation in the competition but the former Bahrain national team boss (pictured) is hoping national pride can encourage his players to raise their game.
“We won’t throw in the towel as we represent Bahrain and we should give our best in all our matches,” said Shareedah, who will be without suspended defenders Mohammad Al Daoud and Sayed Mohamed Adnan.
“We want to win tomorrow and in the last match because our reputation is at stake.
“We will miss key players in the match but we have good replacements who are confident that they will give a good performance. We hope that our players can give their best in order to maintain our chances to go through.”
Al Shorta will be without Salam Shakir, who is suspended, and although the second-placed Iraqis cannot seal progress on Tuesday, Mohamed Yousef’s team can take a major step towards the Round of 16 with a victory.
“We know that the match is important as both sides are looking for a win. We are playing against an opponent who will look to take advantage of playing at home in front of their fans which makes things harder for us,” said Yousef.
“We want to win because it will keep our chances in the competition alive. Al Hidd are a strong team and we respect them and hopefully we can play with great determination and get the three points.”
Victory for Al Jazeera, meanwhile, would see them advance to the last 16 although coach Issa Al Turk will be without the injured Saleh Al Jawhary. The Jordanians go into the game off the back of a 2-2 draw with Al Wehdat in the league last Thursday.
“As is the case with all our games, we will be going into the match tomorrow in order to win and we want to get closer to qualifying from the group,” said Al Turk.
“If things go our way in the other match, then we could secure our place in the knockout stage.
“We know that the match will be very hard, especially because we are facing a team who want to achieve good results. We should be cautious and play with full concentration until the end of the match.”
Fadi Zidan will return from suspension for Wad Alness, who picked up their first win of the campaign against Al Shorta on Matchday Four and can take a significant step towards qualification with a second straight win.
“It will be a decisive match for us as we will try to avoid losing points and get a victory,” said coach Abdulfattah Arar. “We will be playing against one of the best teams in Jordan and we expect a tough match, especially because we are playing away from home.
“We have a heavy schedule as we are battling on three fronts and in the past 45 days we played 19 matches, which is a big number for our players who are exhausted. We will concentrate on the match to give our best to get the three points.”
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