Bahrain’s Riffa take on Oman’s Seeb in AFC Cup West Zone final

TDT | Manama     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain league champions Riffa face off with Al Seeb of Oman tonight in the West Zone final of the AFC Cup 2022. The match is scheduled for a 6pm kick-off, Bahrain time, and it will be played at Seeb Sports Stadium in Muscat.

Riffa booked their berth in the contest after defeating domestic neighbours East Riffa 5-4 in a tense penalty shootout. Seeb clinched their berth after defeating Al Arabi of Kuwait 2-1 in extra-time. The winners of the West Zone final will move on to the AFC Cup 2022 final, where they will meet the victors of the Inter-Zone final on October 22 between Sogdiana Jizzakh from Uzbekistan and Kuala Lumpur City of Malaysia.

Speaking ahead of tonight’s match, Riffa head coach Ali Ashoor said that the team has been well-prepared for the match even before arriving in Muscat. Ashoor acknowledged that the game will not be easy, but it is also not impossible to get the win.

Riffa is capable of achieving a possible result with the good experience his players have, he said, and added that Riffa enter the match with a high level of confidence. Ashoor also touched on the team management’s dissatisfaction with the training pitch quality and the external conditions of the stadiums they have been training in since their arrival at the Omani capital.

Ashoor noted that it should either be a matter looked into by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) or it is due to the poor organisation and lack of professionalism from the ground officials. Riffa will be bidding to keep the trophy in Bahrain, after Muharraq Club won the 2021 AFC Cup, while Seeb are aiming to become the first team from Oman to win the AFC Cup title.