Lekhwiya players celebrate a goal during their AFC Champions League (ACL) campaign in this file picture.
Two Qatar Stars League (QSL) sides Al Rayyan and Lekhwiya will be looking for full points in a bid to strengthen their qualifying chances for the last-16 stage of the AFC Champions League (ACL) today.
The newly crowned QSL champions Lekhwiya will be eyeing a win as they aim to overtake Esteghlal Khouzestan as Group B leaders.
A positive result at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium will take the QSL champions to the top spot in Group B, while Group D leaders Al Rayyan will aim to cement their place at the top when they take on Persepolis in the away match at the Azadi Stadium. In Doha, coach Djamel Belmadi side, which won the local title last week with one round still remaining, can overtake the Iranian club should they hand the Group B leaders their first defeat of the ACL.
The Qatari side managed to pick up a point in the away match drawing 1-1 four weeks ago.
Ismail Mohamad cancelled out Hassan Beit Saeid’s opener when the sides drew 1-1 in Ahwaz.
Lekhwiya's Mohammed Tresor’s late dismissal for a second bookable offence means he is ineligible for the return fixture.
Esteghlal Khouzestan have enjoyed an unbeaten start to their maiden continental campaign but will face their toughest task when they meet another unbeaten side in Lekhwiya.
Iranian champions Esteghlal Khouzestan have yet to lose on the continent after the pair drew 1-1 three weeks ago.
The Iranians will be keen to avoid defeat in Qatar as they will take them closer to round of 16 qualification.
The Iranian champions go into the fixture having not won since early March and on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Mashhad in the Iran Pro League.
In contrast, Lekhwiya have claimed back-to-back domestic wins and have been riding high after pocketing the title.
In the other match of Group B, third-placed Al Fateh will look to close the gap on the leaders when they face bottom side Al Jazira. Al Fateh secured a first-ever AFC Champions League victory by seeing off Al Jazira 3-1 last time out and will know a win in Abu Dhabi would put them in a strong position with two group games remaining, while defeat for Al Jazira would confirm their elimination The Group D is shaping up to be a three-way battle for the top two positions as just two points separate table-toppers Al Rayyan and third-placed Persepolis.
Persepolis will be out to avenge the 3-1 defeat to Al Rayyan in the away match.
Mehdi Taremi opened the scoring but a Rodrigo Tabata brace and Sergio Garcia’s late strike saw Al Rayyan claim all three points and jump to the top of the Group D standings.
Michael Laudrup’s Al Rayyan, who have Victor Caceres available after suspension, have lost all five of their previous visits to the Islamic Republic of Iran and will be looking to set the record straight.
After suffering a 3-1 defeat to Al Rayyan three weeks ago, Persepolis will host the Qatari side knowing that victory this time out would see them leapfrog their opponents.
Al Wahda travel to Riyadh to face Al Hilal on the back of picking up their first point in Group D with a 2-2 draw against the Saudi side in mid-March and will be aware that anything but a win would all but end their continental campaign.
