Upbeat Arbil eye AFC Cup success
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E-mail China.org.cn, December 12, 2013
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The draw for the group stage of the 2013 AFC Cup took place in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. |
Former finalists Arbil are confident of a return to success in the AFC Cup after avoiding nemesis and defending champions Kuwait Sport Club in the group stage following Tuesday's draw in Kuala Lumpur.
Arbil will face either Shabab Al Ordon or Al Wehdat of Jordan, Bahraini outfit Riffa and the winner of February's qualifying play-off between Kyrgyzstan League champions Alay and Al Dharia of Palestine in Group D having been eliminated from the tournament by three-time winners Kuwait SC on three separate occasions.
Having edged out domestic rivals Al Qadsia in the final earlier this year, Kuwait SC will take their place in February's play-offs for the AFC Champions League with a place in the AFC Cup available should they fail to progress through the qualifying rounds.
"I'm happy that there's no Kuwaiti teams in our group," said Arbil club representative Rebi Ramzi. "We lost three times to Kuwait Sport Club, in the final [2012], semi-final [2011] and quarter-final [2009] stage.
"If Kuwait SC get into the AFC Champions League then there's a big chance for Arbil to win the tournament."
Failure to qualify for the AFC Champions League will see Kuwait SC join 2004 AFC Cup champions Al Jaish of Syria, Nejmeh from Lebanon and Oman's Fanja in Group B with Al Arabi on standby to fill the place should they progress.
Elsewhere in the West, Group A will see either Al Suwaiq or Saham of Oman take on Jordanian debutants That Ras Club and Safa from Lebanon, in addition to the winners of the play-off between Tajik League champions FC Ravshan and Al Yarmouk of Yemen.
Syrian side Al Wahda will have to wait until the completion of the AFC Champions League play-offs to learn their opponents in Group C as Bahrain's Al Hidd, Kuwait's Al Qadsia and Al Shorta of Iraq are all involved in February's fixtures with Manama, Al Nasaf, and Air Force their potential replacements.
In the East, meanwhile, Group E features three domestic league champions in Indonesia's Persipura Jayapura, Maldivian side New Radiant and I-League table-toppers Churchill Brothers of India as well as Singapore Cup winners Home United.
"I think all the teams in our group are very good teams, we will do our best to challenge them," said Home United team manager Peter Lim. "We got into the Round of 16 in 2012; we hope we'll go further this time."
Group F encompasses Selangor of Malaysia and Maldivian team Maziya Sports and Recreation, along with Arema Indonesia and either Ha Noi T&T or SHB Da Nang of Vietnam depending on the former's fortunes in the AFC Champions League play-offs.
Hong Kong's AFC Champions League hopefuls South China or alternates Sun Pegasus make-up Group G alongside Yangon United of Myanmar, Vietnamese outfit XM Vissai Ninh Binh and Malaysia FA Cup winners Kelantan.
Finally, Group H contains either Tampines Rovers or Balestier Khalsa of Singapore, Indian teams Pune FC or East Bengal, Nay Pyi Taw of Myanmar and Hong Kong's Kitchee.
The AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs concludes on 15 February, with the AFC group stage beginning on 25/26 February.
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