Courtesy:
The AFC.comGroup A clubs in Mission NagoyaThursday, 18 April 2013Shah Alam: All three West Asian clubs featuring in Zone 1 of the AFC Futsal Club Championship 2013 Qualifiers have one thing in common: get a berth in the finals to be played in Nagoya, Japan, in August.
With Chonburi Bluewave, Shenzhen Nanling and Thai Son Nam booking a place each from Zone 2, six clubs are up in the battle of the qualifiers beginning on Friday at the Panasonic Sports Complex for the remaining two places. The league champions of Japan, Iran and Uzbekistan have qualified automatically after finishing top three in last year’s finals.
Lebanon champions Al Sadaka take on Iraq’s debutants Naft Al Wasat Club on Friday having little knowledge of the opponents.
“It’s not only our problem but I am sure other teams also don’t know their opponents,” Al Sadaka coach Hussein Dib told www.the-afc.com.
“There are some information here and there but we don’t know them in detail so it would be an interesting affair and I believe that any team participating in this competition have a chance to qualify for the finals.
“We also have the ambition of playing in the finals but our main concentration is play good futsal and make Lebanese futsal proud of our commitment and dedication,” he added.
Naft Al Wasat coach Haitam Abbas also echoed Dib as he stressed on the importance of getting experiences and honing skills in the international match.
“At the end of the day, what is definite is learning from this competition and other than that we would try our best to win matches as the preparations have been excellent so far," said Abbas.
“We had good foreign trips: one to Iran and one to Saudi Arabia so we did our homework properly but with almost unknown opponents you cannot predict your chances unless you show it on the pitch so let’s be ready for the matches,” he said.
Al Wasl’s Portuguese coach Rui Daniel will have the advantage of observing the team on the first day as Al Wasl begin only on Saturday.
“It’s a big advantage to see your opponents playing first so that we can fine-tune our team as per the opponents,” he said.
“We did not have particular preparations for this competition but the boys played lots of matches in the Emirates before coming here and the foreign players also are used to playing with the squad so I am not worried about that,” he added.
Friday's MatchesMatch Time Venue
Al Sadd SC vs Dordoi FC 15:30 Panasonic Sports Complex
Al Sadaka vs Naft Al Wasat Club 18:30 Panasonic Sports Complex
Courtesy:
The AFC.comUnfamiliar opponents make Group B intriguingThursday, 18 April 2013Shah Alam: Group B of Zone 2 qualifiers of AFC Futsal Club Championship 2013 is intriguing with the participating clubs being unfamiliar to each other.
Qatar’s Al Sadd SC will take on Dordoi FC of Kyrgyzstan on Friday at the Panasonic Sports Complex having no idea about the Central Asian opponents. The third team in the Group is Al Salmiya SC of Kuwait.
“The only thing we know about Dordoi is that they are a good side based on the progress Kyrgyzstan has done over the few years in futsal,” Al Sadd coach Mohammed Eisa said.
“We are expecting a tough match against them. We know a handful of the players of Salmiya but don’t have any idea about them as a team so we have to be on our guard.
Al Sadd were the runners-up in the inaugural competition back in 2010 when they lost in the final to Iran’s Foolad Mahan Sepahan but coach Eisa believes that the level of futsal has seen a sea change over the years.
“The opponents are not same anymore, the standard has been raised and now its faster and more technical than three years ago. You cannot rule out any team playing in this competition,” he said.
Dordoi coach Nurjan Djetybaev, who relied on local futsal as preparations for the competition is more worried about fatigue in his team.
“As a head coach of the team, I am worried about their shape as we landed in Kuala Lumpur this morning and tomorrow we play our first match against Al Salmiya,” the former Kyrgyzstan national player said.
“But our medical team is working hard to provide ample rest for the players and prepare them physically for tomorrow's (Friday) match,” he added.
Al Salmiya’s Brazilian coach Paulo Cesar, boasting five World Cup-experienced players in his squad, has set a goal to qualify for the Nagoya finals.
“Of course, like any team our goal is to qualify for the finals, let’s see what happens,” he said.
“We did not have great preparations but we will put it behind and play our own brand of futsal to progress,” said the Brazilian.
Friday's MatchesMatch Time Venue
Al Sadd SC vs Dordoi FC 15:30 Panasonic Sports Complex
Al Sadaka vs Naft Al Wasat Club 18:30 Panasonic Sports Complex
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