Ittihad Jeddah will attempt to revive its hopes of progressing to the AFC Champions League quarterfinals when the team faces Group A leader Uzbekistan's Kuruvchi at the MHSK Stadium in Tashkent on Wednesday. On the contrary, the other Saudi representative in the competition, Al-Ahli will fight to redeem some lost prestige when it meets Al-Sadd of Qatar in Jeddah. The Tashkent clash will be a hard task for the two sides as Kuruvchi tops the Group A with nine points, three points ahead of Ittihad Jeddah. An Uzbek victory and a Sepahan loss against Syria's Al-Ittihad Aleppo on the same day would end the race of the two-time champion Al-Ittihad Jeddah. The two teams have met for the first time in their opener in Jeddah where Brazilian Magno Alves sealed a 1-0 victory for Al-Ittihad. Despite losing consecutive matches to Sepahan in its last two encounters, Al-Ittihad stays in good condition after Argentinean coach Gabriel Calderon led the team to a 4-1 victory over Al-Hilal in the semifinals of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup. Calderon, who replaced the former Brazilian coach Estevam Soares, knows that the clash will not be easy for his side, but he puts faith in his boys. “I've watched Kuruvchi closely and they are a good side but I am confident that we can return to Jeddah with three points,” Calderon said. The Argentinean will have the services of midfielder Abdul Rahaman Al-Qahtani and the team's scorer Alves. Both have recovered from their injuries. The only player who failed to join the team was defender Redha Tukar who remained in Jeddah due to personal problems. Tukar will be replaced by Osama Al-Moulad who returns after missing the last game against Sepahan due to suspension. Al-Ittihad President Mohammed Abu Amarah who joined the team in its trip to Tashkent believes that winning the game is a big step toward quarterfinals. “It will be one of the most difficult clashes for the team this season but I am sure that my team will do their best to earn three points,” Amarah said. Meanwhile, Unstable Al-Ahli enters the last two rounds with a hope to fix the team's problems after several upsets in the local and regional competitions. Al-Ahli which lost the chance to qualify to the second stage of the competition will be seeking revenge for the 2-1 defeat at the hands Al-Sadd in the opener in Doha. Al-Karama of Syria enjoys the top spot in Group C with 10 points, five ahead of Al-Wehda of UAE while Al-Sadd is in the third place with four points. If Al-Karama wins the encounter against Al-Wehda in Abu Dhabi, the Syrian side will kill the UAE and Qatar hopes in the competition. Al-Ahli is at the bottom in Group C with two points out of four matches. Midfielder Antonio Caio will be out of Anbar's list after he was sent off in Jeddah against Al-Wehda, which won the match 2-1. “If we win this match, the victory will boost us to clinch the last match against leader Al-Karama,” he said. Al-Sadd of Qatar which arrived in Jeddah on Monday was without its Brazilian striker Emerson due to suspension. Elsewhere, Japan's Gamba Osaka, Kuwait champion Al-Qadsia and 2007 runner-up Al-Karama of Syria will all advance to the quarterfinals with wins in the penultimate round of the first stage. Only the winners of the seven groups progress to the final eight, where they will be joined by defending champion Urawa Reds of Japan. Matche schedule: Group A: Al-Ittihad Allepo (SYR) vs. Sepahan (IRI), Kuruvchi FC (UZB) vs. Al Ittihad (KSA). Group B: Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (IRQ) vs. Al-Wasl Sports Club (UAE), Saipa (IRI) vs. Kuwait SC (KUW). Group C: Al-Ahli (KSA) vs. Al-Sadd (QAT), Al-Wahda (UAE) vs. Al-Karama (SYR). Group D: Al-Qadsia (KUW) v Pakhtakor (UZB), Al-Gharafa (QAT) v Arbil (IRQ). Group E: Binh Duong (VIE) vs. Changchun Yatai (CHN), Adelaide Utd (AUS) vs. Pohang Steelers (KOR). Group F: Kashima Antlers (JPN) vs. Krung Thai Bank (THA), Beijing Guoan (CHN) vs. Nam Dinh (VIE). Group G: Chunnam Dragons (KOR) vs. Melbourne Victory (AUS), Chonburi (THA) vs. Gamba Osaka (JPN). __
