Coach Hernan Crespo confirmed that Al Duhail arrived in Tajikistan in order to get a positive result in their confrontation with Istiklol tomorrow evening. The coach said in the pre-pre-match press conference that was held this evening in the press conference hall in the Central Republican Stadium in the capital city, Dushanbe: We are here at the start of our campaign in the Champions League and we know that we will face a difficult opponent who will be armed with the presence of their fans and support from the stands, but my team is ready for this match and we will work to emerge from it with a positive result.

The coach said: The player Coutinho joined us recently and he is happy to join the team. We are also happy, but he will not be with us in the match, and there is more than one player who will be absent due to injury, but I have confidence in the players and in their ability to provide what is required of them.

Crespo continued: In the last edition, we reached the semifinal round and succeeded in performing well after topping our group, and this time we will go into the matches with increased ambitions, despite the loss of a number of players, led by Edmilson.

He added: The competition is strong, and it is for the champion clubs, and there will be no easy match. We, for our part, will work to provide what is required to qualify to the next round of the competition. The team has a diverse group of players who can cover any absence, and our collective performance method will make the task easier for us.