Match: Al Muharraq v Al Ahed
Date: 21 September, Wednesday
Time: 11pm SGT /8:30 pm IST/4pm BST
Venue: Bahrain National Stadium
Competition: 2016 AFC Cup
TV Coverage: In Singapore, there is no TV coverage of the clash between Al Muharraq and Al Ahed.
Overview
Al Muharraq host Al Ahed in the 2016 AFC Cup quarter-final second leg at the Bahrain National Stadium, Manama on 21 September.
The Bahraini giants lost their first game of the tournament against Al Ahed in the quarter-final first leg on 14 September in Beirut. The Lebanese league champions took the lead as early as in the fifth minute of the game through striker Ahmad Zreik's goal. Ahed though failed to capitalise on the opportunity to extend their lead after Muharraq midfielder Abdulwahab Ali was sent off at the end of the first half.
Ahed will be boosted by the positive result in their previous visit to Bahrain in March 2016. In the group stages, The Promise came up with a commanding performance beating home side Al Hadd 5-2, which was also their only away win in the tournament. They lost 2-0 to Altyn Asyr in Turkmenistan and 3-2 to Al Wehdat in Jordan during the group stage.
Meanwhile, Muharraq will look to make up for their away defeat with the backing of home support in Bahrain. Notably, the Bahraini Premier League giants have not lost a single game of the ongoing tournament at home. The Red Wolf, who were in danger of conceding more in Beirut, would want to recreate the defensive discipline they had in the group stages.
Muharraq would also want to recollect their title-winning campaign in 2008 in which they defeated Ahed's Lebanese league rivals Safa in the final. Their positive intent ahead of their quarter-final clash was evident when they postponed their Sunday's league match against Malkiya.
However, the hosts would be worried about their goal drought in the recent games of the tournament. Muharraq's inability to score more than two goals in the 2016 AFC Cup should be a big concern ahead of Wednesday's clash.
On the other hand, the visitors who thrashed Syrian side Al Wahda 4-0 in the Round of 16 match would take confidence from their goal-scoring form. Going into the match with a one-goal advantage, Ahed are well placed to stun Muharraq and reach their first-ever AFC Cup semi-final.
Team News
Al Muharraq
Possible XI: Ismaeel Abdullatif; Sayed Jaafar, Ebrahim Almoshakhis, Waleed Al Hayam, Saleh Abd Alhamid, Mahmood Abdulrahman; Mohamed Salmeen, Mahmoud Al Mawas, Jamal Rasheed; Mahdi Ali, Husain Ali Baba
Al Ahed
Possible XI: Hasan Bitar; Hussein Dakik, Nour Mansour, Hussein Al Zein, Khalil Khamis; Abbas Ali Atwi, Hassan Chaito, Denis Iguma, Ahmad Zreik, Mohamad Haidar, Mohamad Kdouh
