Afif: We want to secure the win in Doha

Al-Sadd forward Akram Afif is looking forward to the tough challenge his side will face when they take on Iranian side Persepolis in the AFC Champions League semifinal first leg on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media before Sunday’s training session, Afif said: “Of course, it will be a tough game; the Iranian team is not an easy opponent. Reaching the semifinals is proof of their strength. But we have confidence in our abilities and we are determined to give our best and get the win to move further forward in this competition.”

“We want to secure the tie with a reassuring win in Doha, before the second leg. This is an opportunity for us to play in front of our fans and we must use it in the best manner. Personally, I am very optimistic about our chances and I have a feeling that we can get a really good result.”

He added: “We have information about the opponent but our focus is on ourselves more than them. We will work on performing at a high level during the game. We promise our fans that we will give everything we have. Insha Allah, we can achieve a good result that will make them happy.”

As for what he thought on his side’s two games against Persepolis in the group stage, Afif said: “In the group stages, we defeated them 3-1 (in Doha) and lost 1-0 (in Tehran). We were the better side and we qualified. Even in the game that we lost, we had a number of chances that we wasted.”

The Al-Sadd star concluded by saying: “The Al-Sadd fans are the biggest support we have and we await their presence at the stadium. We look forward to seeing them fill the stands so they can push the team forward to their best levels.”