Shaheen Asmayee, the 2016 Roshan Afghan Premier League (RAPL) champions will face-off against Hosilot, a Tajik football club, in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup 2017 in a two-leg play-off match. The game will take place at the Republican Central Stadium, Dushanbe at 3:00 pm Kabul time on 31 January, 2017.

Shaheen Asmayee is the first Afghan football club that has qualified for an AFC event. The game is expected to be a breathtaking challenge for Shaheen, however, the team is optimistic to make history in the AFC Cup 2017 and for Afghan football.

The team continued their preparations and exercises at the Republican Central Stadium after they arrived in Tajikistan, Dushanbe on 25 January, 2017. All the preparations were supervised by their expert coach Boir Igamberdiev and his assistant Mujtaba Faiz.

The opponent, Hosilot F.C, enjoys the presence of three African, one Uzbek, and five Tajikistan national team players in its squad. Additionally, since the match is taking place in Dushanbe, it is expected that Hosilot will benefit their home ground advantage. 

“We know about Hosilot F.C, we know about the advantages they have; however, we will stay eager to make an impression and triumph over the rivals,” said Coach Boir Igamberdiev.
This closely contested game will catch the imagination of people across Afghanistan and it will be tied with the Afghan hope and pride.

Hamidullah Yousufzai, the team’s second goalkeeper, suffered an injury during the exercise in Dushanbe and he will not be in the squad for tomorrow’s match. Previously, Shaheen’s well-known striker, Hashmatullah Barakzai, lost the opportunity to accompany the team in this match as he suffered an injury as well.

To stay up-to-date about this lively game, follow and like RAPL social platforms. Read more about Shaheen Asmayee and the coming match on (www.afghanpremierleague.com). To see photos of the game against Hosilot F.C, like RAPL Instagram page (Afghanpremierleague.official).