ACL MD6: Group B Preview

Doha , April 30 (QNA) -Lekhwiya coach Eric Gerets will be without striker Sebastian Soria and defenders Madjid Bougherra and Kingambo Tresor for Wednesdays meeting with Saudi Arabias Al Ettifaq as the former Qatar champions looks to secure a place in the last 16 of the AFC Champions League for the first time. Soria, who has scored four goals in the competition this season, was sent-off last week as Group B leaders Lekhwiya suffered a 3-1 defeat by Al Shabab Al Arabi to miss out on securing a place in the knockout stage from Group B. And with Algeria international Bougherra and fellow defender Tresor also sidelined, Gerets will be forced into changes with Lekhwiya needing to avoid defeat to secure their qualification regardless of the result in Tashkent as Pakhtakor entertain Al Shabab Al Arabi with all four teams in Group B still in the hunt for a place in the last 16. "The players are focused on the match and they want to remain at the top of the group. We must get the three points and make a good comeback after losing in the previous match against Al Shabab Al Arabi which was a surprising defeat," said Gerets (pictured), who saw his side beat fellow ACL 2013 participants El Jaish 2-1 in the semi-finals of Heir Apparents Cup on Saturday. "We havent had enough time to prepare and we will be missing a key player in the name of Sebastian Soria, however, we have ambition to qualify and hopefully we can win the match in order to advance to the knockout stage." Al Ettifaq beat Pakhtakor 2-0 last week to move up to second place in Group B ahead of the Uzbekistan champions due to a superior head-to-head record and Maciej Skorzas side will advance to the last 16 at the top of the table with victory at Lekhwiya Stadium. "We are holding onto our chances to advance to the knockout stage of the competition. The fact that all the teams have a chance to qualify makes the matches of this round so exciting and interesting for the fans," said Skorza. AFC Champions League ever-presents Pakhtakor, meanwhile, are bidding to return to the last 16 for the first time since 2010 with victory over Al Shabab Al Arabi. "All the teams have a chance to qualify to the next round and both matches will be very interesting," said Pakhtakor coach Murod Ismailov. "Al Shabab had some problems in the first two matches in this competition, but they beat Lekhwiya in the last game and showed they have potential. I have watched many of Al Shababs games this season and there are no weak teams in the tournament. They have a lot of experience with some good foreign players, while their bench also played well against Lekhwiya." With play-off winners Al Shabab Al Arabi a point adrift at the foot of the table, Marcos Paquetas side must win at Pakhtakor Stadium to seal their place in the last 16 for the first time. Paqueta, though, will be without midfielders Ibrahim Abdulla and Naser Masood, although Uzbekistan international Azizbek Haydarov is set to feature. "We expect a very tough match as both clubs have to play to win. Only a win opens the door for us to the Round of 16," said Paqueta, who saw his side lose 1-0 at home to Pakhtakor earlier in the campaign. "I believe the game will be very open. Pakhtakor have a lot of good young players and they played well in Dubai against us, but we must forget that result." (QNA)