Wihdat, Faisali prepare for AFC Cup Round of 16

AMMAN — Wihdat and Faisali are readying to play Round of 16 matches May 24-25 in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup matches which will pave the way to the quarter-finals.

Wihdat’s line-up arrived in Doha to face Iraq’s Air Force on May 24 after they managed to book one of two qualifying slots following a hard fought 3-2 win over Lebanon’s Al Ahed.

Two-time AFC Cup champs Faisali left Amman on Sunday to play Group A leaders Bahrain’s Muharraq in Manama on May 25 after they finished second in Group B in Round 1 following their defeat to Iraq’s Naft al Wasat 1-0 

Jordan Professional League champ Wihdat were nearly out of the competition after inconsistent performances locally as well. However, the team managed to win the league title for the third year running after closest competitors Faisali and Ahli stumbled. Team official Ziyad Shilbayeh said the squad was back on track after ending a string of defeats and draws.

“We look forward to advance further. This is a title which we have not won and as league champs we aim to be winners,” Shilbayeh said after Wihdat beat Al Ahed to qualify. 

The team is not without many challenges like the suspension of three players including goalie Amer Shafie, while two others are on the injury list.

Faisali dismissed their coach Rateb Awadat after their defeat to Naft al Wasat and replaced him with Firas Khalaileh. Club officials were reported to have promised the team bonuses in case of a win in their upcoming match, as well as advancing further in the competition.

Faisali aim to return to the forefront of competitions this year while Wihdat hope the AFC will make up for elimination from the Asian Champions League — the premier Asian competition — where they lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia’s Ittihad Jeddah.  Wihdat have taken part in the past eight AFC editions but have not won an Asian title. This year, they conceded the season opening 33rd Super Cup to rivals Faisali, while Ahli won the Jordan Cup.

The second tier Asian club competition has been won three times by Jordanian teams: Faisali won in 2005 and 2006, and Shabab Urdun won in 2007.

In 2015, Jordanian teams were absent from advanced stages of Asian competitions as Wihdat and Jazira were knocked out of the AFC Cup Round of 16. 

In 2014, Jordan Cup champs That Ras exited the Round of 16 in their inaugural AFC participation while former AFC Cup champs Shabab Urdun exited in Round 1.