MUSCAT: Will Al Seeb Club keep the date and kiss the AFC Cup in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday? Will the Omani Club which made record by becoming the first outfit from the Sultanate to reach any finals at Asian level make it a memorable day? Will the prayers be answered?

Well, from 3pm Oman time, if you are a football fan, keep fingers crossed and watch this space!

Oman’s Al Seeb Club or Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur City FC will make history when they will be crowned kings of Asia in National Stadium Bukit Jalil at Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. Al Seeb aim to become Oman’s first-ever Asian champions and KL City are looking to follow compatriots Johor Darul Ta’zim who lifted the trophy in 2015.

The AFC Cup is continent’s secondary club football tournament, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the winners will get automatic berth  for the 2023-’24 AFC Champions League, the most coveted prize in the continent.

 The Omani outfit made it to the final after thumping Bahraini club Al Riffa 4-0 in the semifinal watched by vociferous 12,000 fans at Seeb Sports Stadium. Their first final appearance will better old record of Al Nahda who reached the semifinals in 2008. Moreover, Seeb will get the chance to be the first Omani team to win any AFC club competitions.

Defending champion Bahraini club Al Muharraq who failed to obtain the AFC license could not even field their team this time.

 Hosts Kuala Lumpur City FC head coach Bojan Hodak reckons Seeb are the favourites while his counterpart Rasheed Jabar, however, feels the final will be an even contest as both teams bid to cap their debut campaigns by lifting the coveted trophy.

“We didn’t expect to reach the final as our target was just to go through the group stage. However, things changed after our victory against Viettel FC in Vietnam and we are hoping this momentum will carry us past Al Seeb to the title,” Hodak told the-AFC.com.  “Against Al Seeb, the odds are stacked against us. Al Seeb are a very good team as they have four to five national team players among their ranks. With Oman being ranked higher than Malaysia, I believe they are the favourites going into the final.”

On their way to final, the hosts posted wins over India’s ATK Mohun Bagan and PFC Sogdiana of Uzbekistan.

Omani  coach  Jabar is confident his players can get the job done despite having to play away.

“It’s the same for us and the other team, we’re reaching the final for the first time,” said Jabar. “It’s a really important match, and it has been a long road. This is going to be a tough match, KL City are a good team with good players.”

Jabar reminded his players to remain focused throughout the final and has prepared his side to be ready for all scenarios. “There are no favourites in the final, anyone can take it (title). It’s about how you mentally prepare yourself for all eventualities,” he told the-afc.com

SQUADS

Al Seeb Club: Abdul Aziz Humaid Mubarak Al Muqbali, Mohamed Said Saud Al Habsi, Ahmed Al Siyabi, Ahmed Khalfan Muhail Al Siyabi, Salaah Said Salim Al Yahyaei, Muhsen Saleh Abdullah Ali Al Ghassani, C. Dauda, Abdul Aziz Humaid Mubarak Al Muqbali, Mohamed Ramadhan, Daniel Ajibola Owopabi, Cosmos Dauda, Sayed Reda Issa Hasan Radhi Hashim, Hazaa Ali, Abdulkarim Fardan, Omer Mohammed Rashid Al Malki, Ali Hasan Isa, Mohamed Saad Marzooq Al Romaihi, Sayed Hashim

Kuala Lumpur City FC: Vitaliy Denisov,  S. Salomov, Sardor Qulmatov, Iskandar Shaykulov, D. Nasridinov, Abdujalil Manazarov, A. Nomanov, Shokhruz Norkhonov, H. Gafurov, Milan Mitrović, S. Abdullayev, Javoxir Kaxramonov, Shakhboz Djurabekov, Luka Čermelj, Husniddin Gafurov, Paulo Josué Stuurmer dos Reis, Partiban Janasekaran, Hadin Azman, Ryan Edward Lambert Lee Kit Seng, D. Kenny Pallraj, Zhafri bin Yahya, Fakrul Aiman Sidid, Declan Stephen Lambert Lee Kit Meng, Anwar Ibrahim, Paulo Josué Stuurmer dos Reis, Romel Oswaldo Morales Ramírez, Muhammad Hadin bin Azman, Muhammad Akram bin Mahinan, Giancarlo Gallifuoco