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23/05/2007
Kwid keen for history to repeat itself
Coach Mohammed Kwid will be hoping for an outcome similar to Al Karama’s final group game of last year’s AFC Champions League when they face Neftchi in their Group C showdown at the Khaled Ibn Al Waleed stadium on Wednesday night.
The Syrian side need to beat their rivals from Uzbekistan in Homs to qualify for the last eight, the same scenario as in 2006 when they overcame Iranian outfit Saba Battery.
And Kwid believes that experience will stand Al Karama in good stead when they take on the group leaders.
"The game on Wednesday brings back memories from last year when we played Saba Battery," Kwid told PA Sport.
"Against Saba, we needed a win to advance and we are in a similar situation now.
"But we have plenty of experience in the competition as we have played a lot of matches and face tougher opponents than Neftchi.
The 50-year-old also expects the home fans to play a big part as he looks for his side to go on the offensive from the first whistle.
"We will get big support from our fans, who will be an extra weapon for us," added Kwid.
"We have talented players while Neftchi depend on their physical superiority.
"We will attack and we have certain tactics that we will try to employ.
"We have to score early because it is important to put the game away right from the beginning."
Kwid rested the majority of his key players in their last league game against Teshrine with Wednesday’s clash in mind.
"The game against Neftchi is our match of the season," said midfielder Fahd Aodi, who has two goals in this year’s competition.
"We might have won the league title but the most important thing is to repeat our success at a continental level."
Team skipper Hassan Abbas added: "We are used to playing important matches in Homs.
"We have no other option but to win and this is what we will try to do. We have to be calm, try to score and concentrate."
Although Neftchi will be looking to become the first side in the history of the AFC Champions League to win at Al Karama, the Uzbeks actually need only a draw to progress as they head the group by two points.
They have already beaten their Syrian opponents 2-1 on Matchday Two but were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Iraqi side Al Najaf last time out.
The Syrian side need to beat their rivals from Uzbekistan in Homs to qualify for the last eight, the same scenario as in 2006 when they overcame Iranian outfit Saba Battery.
And Kwid believes that experience will stand Al Karama in good stead when they take on the group leaders.
"The game on Wednesday brings back memories from last year when we played Saba Battery," Kwid told PA Sport.
"Against Saba, we needed a win to advance and we are in a similar situation now.
"But we have plenty of experience in the competition as we have played a lot of matches and face tougher opponents than Neftchi.
"However, this does not mean that we should underestimate them."
The 50-year-old also expects the home fans to play a big part as he looks for his side to go on the offensive from the first whistle.
"We will get big support from our fans, who will be an extra weapon for us," added Kwid.
"We have talented players while Neftchi depend on their physical superiority.
"We will attack and we have certain tactics that we will try to employ.
"We have to score early because it is important to put the game away right from the beginning."
Kwid rested the majority of his key players in their last league game against Teshrine with Wednesday’s clash in mind.
"The game against Neftchi is our match of the season," said midfielder Fahd Aodi, who has two goals in this year’s competition.
"We might have won the league title but the most important thing is to repeat our success at a continental level."
Team skipper Hassan Abbas added: "We are used to playing important matches in Homs.
"We have no other option but to win and this is what we will try to do. We have to be calm, try to score and concentrate."
Although Neftchi will be looking to become the first side in the history of the AFC Champions League to win at Al Karama, the Uzbeks actually need only a draw to progress as they head the group by two points.
They have already beaten their Syrian opponents 2-1 on Matchday Two but were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Iraqi side Al Najaf last time out.
Despite the draw against Al Najaf, Neftchi have enjoyed a good start to 2007, winning 12 of 15 matches overall and holding a two-point lead in the Uzbek league after their 3-1 win against Samarqand-Dynamo last Saturday.
However, coach Yuri Sarkisyan is concerned by the absence of five key players for the visit to Homs. Striker Nosir Otakuziev and defender Masud Toirov are suspended after receiving two yellow cards in the tournament while striker Ilya Kovalenko, centre back Maxim Usmanov and midfielder Nodir Kuziboyev have been ruled out by injuries.
"We are missing two strikers at the same time which means we have only one pair of attacking players in our team. We are also missing two defenders at the same time which leaves us with only three backs in our team," said Sarkisyan.
"I will have enough good players for the start of the game but if something happens during the match, we’ll have problems.
"Anyway we are looking for at least a draw which would send us through to the quarter-finals."
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