Last season’s Syrian league runners-up managed only one point from their first two games in a tough Group E but eventually topped the section after reeling off four straight victories including back-to-back wins against two-time AFC Cup winners Al Faisaly and a 3-2 away triumph against defending champions Muharraq.

But while confident that his players can continue the job against Neftchi, Mahlami warned that it will be no easy task against the experienced Uzbek outfit that has featured in four previous editions of the AFC Champions League.

“Winning our group in the previous round has given us a good advantage of playing at home and this will give us a big push to continue our good performances and advance to the quarter-finals,” he said.

“Our main problem is that we have been missing a lot of scoring chances and the next game will be very hard because it is a one-off knockout match and you can’t get back if you lose.

“Many people think that we are the favourites to win the game against Neftchi. However, they are a strong team and they can cause a lot of problems for us even if we are playing at home.

“The form of Neftchi has not stable as they had inconsistent results in the group stage. But I have seen a lot of their matches and received a lot of information about them.”

After losing heavily in their opening game in Lebanon against Al Ahed, Neftchi made it to the round of 16 by hammering Al Tilal 5-0 in Yemen to finish second behind Busaiteen in Group A.

Veteran coach Yuriy Sarkisyan feels that his side are now firmly focussed on their clash against Al Maged.

“The game against Al Maged is very important because it’s a one-off game,” said Sarkisyan.

“This stage is very important and we must be fully concentrated for the game on Tuesday.

“Our victory against Al Tilal was very difficult because it requires a huge effort to win an away game. But that game gave us a chance to play in the round of 16 and we must carry on our good performances if we want to win against Al Maged.”