Speaking before flying to Amman for Tuesday’s first leg, Marmar said that there was little to choose between the two teams who had both impressed en route to the Zonal Final.
“Al Jazeera and Al Ahed have as much chance as each other of qualifying for the final,” declared the Lebanese tactician.
“Al Jazeera are a good side. They finished the group stage on top of their group, and then made a comeback after being 3-0 down in the Zonal Semi-finals.
“The two teams are close [in terms of quality] and small details will be decisive to determine who will qualify to the final,” he added. “Our aim is to get a good result in the first leg before the second match which will be decisive.”
West Zonal SF 2nd Leg: Al Ahed FC v Al Wehdat
Al Ahed had their opening match in the Lebanese Premier League postponed in order to allow them to focus on the vital Continental showdown, preparation which, according to Marmar, has gone well.
“We have an advantage in as much as we played two matches against teams like Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia [in the Arab Club Championship] and the Super Cup match against Al Ansar,” he said.
“These matches gave us a good amount of motivation both physically and technically.”
Since qualifying for the Zonal Final, Al Ahed have made several changes to their squad, with Marmar declaring that the alterations have provided a distinct boost despite the departure of some key players.
“There were some changes in our team with the departure of some important players especially Mohamad Kdouh,” said Marmar of Al Jazeera’s top goalscorer in the 2019 AFC Cup who recently moved to Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings.
“However, we have added new players such as Tunisian forward Ahmed Akaïchi, and these new players have blended well in the team,” he concluded.
Photo: Al Ahed FC
