Bencherifa calls for focus ahead of Jordan clash

Margao : Salgaocar FC will be leaving for Jordan tonight to play their third match of the group "D" against Al Wehdat of Jordan of the AFC Cup 2012 on April 4.

Karim Bencherifa’s side is trailing Jordan’s Al Wehdat by two points but can be in the top two in Group D if they defeat the Green Ultras by more than 2 goals. There is no margin for error, though, with Al Wehdat having won their previous encounter with Oman’s Al Arouba. In their previous AFC Cup match, Salgaocar hosted F C Neftchi on March 21 only to leave the touring side dejected with a 2-2 draw. Salgaocar FC gave a good account of themselves by holding their Uzbek opponents and equalising twice in each half. Head Coach Karim Bencherifa would be expecting a similar kind of confidence from the players as he takes the Jordan contest head-on. "The match against Neftchi was a memorable one. Just to remind you that Uzbek clubs have beaten Indian clubs with large score differences. As far as Al Wehdat is concerned, we will be trying our best to come back with the best result possible, let’s not forget that they reached the semi-finals of the AFC Cup last year," said the Head coach Karim Bencherifa. Karim Bencherifa`s formidable side was better in their first game against Al Arouba in Oman but had to be content without a single point. Salgaocar FC is 3 points behind table toppers F C Neftchi, and a win in Jordan can boost their chances of qualifying for the next stage. "We are just 3 points behind Neftchi, so we need to keep our focus intact and repeat the good performances which our boys have shown in Oman and Goa,", he said. Sitting at 3rd place in the Jordanian league and coached by Serbian Branko Smiljanic, Al Wehdat would be hoping for repeat of Smiljanic’s feat achieved with another Jordanian club Al Faisaly in 2002 when he won AFC Cup with them. PTI