2021 ACL: Foolad to Play Al-Sadd with Full Confidence
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran's Foolad FC will play Al-Sadd SC with full confident when play Qatari team in Group D of the 2021 AFC Champions League on Wednesday.
Al-Sadd, coming off a dominant domestic season which saw the team lifts the Qatar Stars League title unbeaten, will be aiming to maintain that form as it looks to add to the AFC Champions League title won in 2011.
Foolad will be heading into the match with full confidence after its emphatic 4-0 win over UAE's Al-Ain FC in the playoff just four days ago to qualify for the group stage for the fourth time in its history.
Foolad's last appearance in the Continental tournament was back in 2015, where it missed out on progressing to the knockout stage after finishing third in its group, with a 1-0 defeat to Al-Sadd proving costly.
Much, however, has changed and head coach Javad Nekounam will be confident his side can hold its own against Al-Sadd.
Nekounam may be making his debut in the AFC Champions League as a head coach, but the 40-year-old is no stranger to the tournament, having played for Pas (Tehran) FC, Esteghlal and Kuwait SC in the past.
Nekounam’s counterpart Xavi is also a player turned coach with Al-Sadd, and the 2021 edition will mark his third consecutive year leading the Qatari club.
Al-Sadd’s outing in the 2020 AFC Champions League ended in the Round of 16, but that result is now forgotten after its phenomenal domestic season.
The AFC Champions League title eluded Xavi as a player but the Spanish legend will be confident of winning it as a coach.
The match will be held at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
