Dempo to clash with Al Ansar in Lebanon

Panaji: Dempo Sports Club`s quest for AFC Cup glory continues in Lebanon as they set their eyes next on

hosts Al Ansar in their second group A clash at the Sports City Stadium, Beriut, Lebanon, here on Tuesday. Dempo are upbeat as they gear up for the Lebanese encounter after their 2-1 win against Al Tilal of Yemen at home in Pune earlier this month. But considering the fact that they are up against the home team, the advantage rests with Al Ansar. The cold climate will also be another factor, which will work against Dempo who trained on Sunday evening and also on the eve of the match to get acclimatised to the cold weather in Beirut. However, the hosts are still smarting from their 0-3 drubbing suffered at the hands of Uzbek outfit Nasaf, who knocked the Lebanese side cold in sub-zero temperatures. While the hosts are aware about Dempo being an experienced side and potentially a "tough" opponent, Al Ansar coach Jamal Taha conceded, "Tomorrow`s match will be critical, especially because we need to make amends for the loss in Uzbekistan." Taha`s observations roll back to their opening AFC game in Uzbekistan where they lost the opener. "In Uzbekistan it was not a good start but since coming back home, my team has won two games in the local league and are banking on those results to counter Dempo`s challenge," Taha added.Not much crowd is expected to fill in the stadium tomorrow, owing to the "political situation" in Lebanon. This situation could work in favour of Dempo as the partisan crowd would not be able to actively root for their team inside the stadium. Lending his thoughts on tomorrow`s contest, Dempo coach Armando Colaco said :"The team is fit and rearing to go. We want to play good football and create our chances to score." "The team has been playing in the AFC Cup and is in its fifth season and there is no reason why we should not play well this time. We are looking ahead and hope to qualify beyond the group, so tomorrow`s match is also vital in that context," the Dempo coach added. PTI