Al Wasl to face Qatari Al Sadd in AFC Champions League Round of 16

Al Wasl is set to face Al Sadd of Qatar on Monday in the first leg of the round of 16 of the AFC Champions League at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai.

Al Wasl qualified after coming in fifth in the league stage of the continental tournament, which was launched in this version with its new system, while Al Sadd qualified after coming in fourth.

The first eight teams out of 12 teams from the West Zone qualify for the round of 16.

Saudi clubs lead the matches in this round, as Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Nasr also qualified, respectively, while Al Rayyan of Qatar, Esteghlal of Iran and Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan also qualified.

Al Wasl hopes to repeat its victory over Al Sadd this year, after they met in the UAE-Qatar Super Cup, with Al Wasl winning 1-0 in Doha, while their match in the AFC Champions League for elite ended in a 1-1 draw at Al Wasl Stadium.

Al Wasl also aspires to improve its results this season after its decline in the UAE League, where it is in sixth place with 27 points, while Al Sadd is in second place in the Qatari League table with 37 points, one point behind the leader Al Duhail.

It is worth noting that the first leg matches of the round of 16 of the competition, which will be held over the course of Monday and Tuesday, bring together Esteghlal Tehran with Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia, Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan with Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, and Al Rayyan of Qatar with Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia, for the western region.