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The AFC Cup quarter-finals draw is scheduled for June 20 and Indian football fans can certainly look forward to it, as East Bengal are in the last eight. Unlike the club competitions in Europe, the continental tournaments in Asia take place over a calendar year and not in the course of one season.
Hence many of the teams might have several changes in their squad and coaching staff by the time they play their two-legged quarter-final tie in September. East Bengal for example will certainly have a new coach in charge and there will be some changes in their squad also.
However the red-and-gold brigade have managed to retain their top scorer of last season, Edeh Chidi. The Nigerian’s first season with East Bengal started slowly but since the turn of the new year, he netted 17 goals in 18 starts in the I-League and AFC Cup.
Chidi has scored six times in seven matches of this edition’s AFC Cup including a superb hat-trick against Myanmar’s Yangon United in the round of 16. Even in the matches where he hasn’t got on the scoresheet, Chidi has created chances for his teammates and his physical presence has given opposition defenders all sorts of problems. The striker had reached the semifinals in 2008 with Dempo and would have to be at his best to repeat that feat with East Bengal.
Sportskeeda lists five other potential stars of the quarter-finals.
Edward Wilson (Semen Padang)
Semen Padang’s No.22: Edward Wilson
The 28-year-old has an incredible return of nine goals in six matches in this season’s AFC Cup so far, having found the back of the net in every match that he has featured. Wilson was denied visa for Semen Padang’s away game against Churchill Brothers and thus missed out on that fixture but in the reverse match he bagged a brace in a 3-1 victory over the Indian champions. The Liberian striker, who has represented his country at international level, has been in red hot form in the Indonesian domestic league also as he is the joint top scorer with eight goals.
Mohun Bagan have reportedly shown interest in signing Wilson but that looks highly unlikely as the season in Indonesia started in February and will continue till November and Padang have their top striker tied up to a lucrative contract. Wilson has been at the club since 2008 and been instrumental in their recent success. He will certainly be determined to continue his fine scoring record in the AFC Cup this term and take Semen Padang further in the competition.
Jordi Tarres (Kitchee SC)
Jordi Tarres (in blue)
The Spaniard’s statistics in this season’s AFC Cup is even more staggering as he has scored 11 goals in seven matches. He has got on the scoresheet on every matchday, including a hattrick against Singapore’s Warriors FC. Tarres also got on the scoresheet in the 2-0 away win at Malaysia’s Kelantan in the one-off round of 16 tie to take the Hong Kong club to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. The 32-year-old also scored thrice in two matches against Churchill Brothers in the group stage.
Tarres was also Kitchee’s joint top scorer in the Hong Kong domestic league, in which they finished runners-up, and such fine form earned the Espanyol youth product a new two-year deal, which will keep him at the club till 2015. Before joining Kitchee’s Spanish revolution in 2010, Tarres mainly played in lower divisions of Spanish football. His 11 goals has already broken the record of most goals in a single AFC Cup campaign under this new format, which was introduced in 2009, but Tarres’s ultimate aim will be to win the competition.
Ashraf Nu’man (Al Faisaly)
Ashraf Nu’man
Unlike the rest in this list, Ashraf is not a striker at all and usually appears on the left wing or just behind the main forward. Barring the one match where he was suspended, Ashraf has started in each of Faisaly’s AFC Cup games this term but his best performance by far was in the round of 16 against Bahrain’s Al Riffa as the 26-year-old netted a double late on in the second half to secure a 3-1 victory.
Indian fans will clearly remember his name as the versatile playmaker scored a superb hat-trick to inspire Palestine to a 4-2 victory in an international friendly in Kochi back in February. That was a sensational performance from Ashraf as he made the Indian defence look ordinary almost single-handedly and was even clinical with his finishing. He has also scored in two of Palestine’s last three internationals so it’s no surprise to see that his future at Faisaly is undecided as he has offers from both within Jordan and abroad. Faisaly must hold on to him if they want to win their third AFC Cup crown.
Bader Al-Mutawa (Al Qadsia)
Al- Mutawa (in yellow)
The Kuwaiti football legend has had another fruitful campaign in the continent as he has found the back of the net nine times in six matches. Al-Mutawa is not a natural striker as he likes playing the withdrawn role but still has an excellent goal scoring record for both club and country. The 28-year-old has bagged three braces in this season’s AFC Cup including one in the round of 16 tie against Oman’s Fanja. Al-Mutawa was in inspirational form in that game as Qadsia comfortably won 4-0 to reach the last eight for the first time since 2010.
Al-Mutawa, who wears the number ’17′ jersey for both club and country, had trials with Malaga in 2010 and Nottingham Forest in 2012 but failed to earn a contract on both occasions. Fans in India won’t like his sight as the Qadsia man scored four in the 9-1 demolition of Bob Houghton’s side in an international friendly back in 2010. Qadsia finished runners-up in the 2010 AFC Cup and would need Al-Mutawa to be at his best to at least match that feat this time around.
Issam Jemaa (Al Kuwait)
Jemaa (No.9)
The Tunisian international scored six goals in five starts in the group stage as defending champions Al Kuwait secured progression to the round of 16 with a game to spare. Despite not scoring in the pre-quarterfinal tie against Iraq’s Duhok, which the Kuwait club won on penalties, the 29-year-old striker looked dangerous. His experience and quality has been vital for Al Kuwait in the AFC Cup so far and also helped them win the domestic title by a margin of 12 points.
After staring his career with Tunisian club Esperance, Jemaa had plenty of spells in France with top clubs like Lens and Auxerre so his CV is possibly too good for the second tier competition of Asia but Al Kuwait won’t mind. Jemaa has a contract with Al Kuwait till the summer of 2014, a year in which he could also feature in the FIFA World Cup. With 34 goals in 73 caps, Jemaa is also the all-time highest Tunisian goal scorer. He would be eager to score in the quarter-final stage and keep the newly-crowned Kuwait champions on course for a second-straight and third overall AFC Cup title.
