Al Wehdat coach Branko Smiljanic will be forced into five changes as the Group D winners round off their successful AFC Cup group stage campaign against Oman’s Al Arouba on Tuesday at Al Seeb Sports Stadium.
Mohammad Al Dmeiri, Basem Fathi, Issa Al Sapah, Amer Abuhwaiti and Ahmad Halaweh are all ruled out through suspension for the trip to Oman.
Smiljanic’s side have already secured home advantage in the Round of 16 after winning four of their five games in Group D, while Al Arouba are unable to qualify following their defeat by India’s Salgaocar last month.
"This will be our last group match and the result will not affect the positions in the group. The match will be a chance for us to give the opportunity for young faces to play in the game,” said Smiljanic.
"We will be missing several players through suspension so we'll try our best to find suitable solutions for such situations. The most important thing for us is to show a good performance and get the three points."
With Al Arouba’s surprise 3-1 defeat by Salgaocar on Matchay Five handing Uzbekistan’s Neftchi a place in the last 16, Mokhtar Mokhtar’s side have only pride to play for.
Forward Abdullah Abdulhadi and midfielder Mohamed Ktkoot are eligible to return from suspension, although defender Sauod Suwaid is ruled out after picking up a second yellow card of the campaign against Salgaocar.
"Although there will be no big motivation in the game, we will go into the game with an aim to get the three points,” said Mokhtar.
“There will be no pressure on any team as Al Wehdat secured the top spot but we want to get a win from the game."
Neftchi, meanwhile, entertain Salgaocar with their place in the last 16 already secured, while the visitors will be looking to end their campaign on a high following their win over Al Arouba.
The home side, who ended a four game winless streak with a 3-0 home win over Mash'al in the Uzbek League on Friday, will be without captain Mansurjon Saidov due to suspension.
“My plan for tomorrow is to win, win and only win,” said Neftchi coach Yuri Sarkisan, who does welcome back Sherzod Hakimov after serving a ban on Matchday Five.
“Although I am missing several of my regular players due to injuries or suspensions, I am hopeful of a good match with Salgaocar.
“I am missing several key players, but I am confident about my other players and I know they won’t disappoint me.”
Salgaocar are boosted by the return of Japanese midfielder Ryuji Sueoka from injury, although striker Bevan D'Mello and defender Augustin Fernandes are ruled out through suspension while striker Chidi Edeh was unable to make the trip to Uzbekistan due to visa issues.
“Although we are out of the competition, I feel we have performed well in our group except for the game against Al Wehdat in Jordan where we were below par. We drew with Neftchi and beat Al Arouba at home. We were unlucky to have lost by one goal to Al Arouba in Oman despite having played exceptionally well. We even played with 10 men against Al Wehdat in Goa and managed to score against them,” said Salgaocar coach Karim Bencherifa
“I think we have earned the respect of the other teams and the media as well.
“Tomorrow’s match will be our last match of the season before taking a deserved break and therefore we are facing injuries to some of our key players like Chidi, (Lamare) Rocus and Gilbert (Oliveira).
“However, despite the injuries we plan to put on a good show tomorrow. Our target is not to finish at the bottom of the table hence we will prepare ourselves well for the match.”
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