Al Wahda will be without hotshot Sebastian Tagliabue for Monday’s Champions League opener against Lokomotive Tashkent but head coach Laurentiu Reghecampf is confident his side can claim all three points.

Tagliabue, 32, did not travel to the Uzbekistani capital on Sunday morning with Reghecampf leaving him out of the match squad altogether.

The Romanian coach said the Argentine was among the players to miss out on the game due to “small issues” but while he is wary of the task against the Tashkent, feels he has enough quality up front to deal with his absence.

“I think it will be a difficult game for us because it’s the first game of the tournament,” he said. “We have some small issues with some of our players so we have decided not to bring them here. But I’m confident that we can get a positive result.”

The Clarets go into their game against the Uzbek League champions, sitting second in the Arabian Gulf League and still in contention for President’s Cup and Arabian Gulf Cup glory.

Last season, Wahda exited the competition in the group stage and Hungarian playmaker Balázs Dzsudzsák is fully aware his team will need to be at the top of their game to get their campaign off to a winning start.

“For sure it’s going to be a difficult game,” he said. “It will be difficult conditions to play in. It’s a small pitch but it will be a good experience. Hopefully we can get a good result tomorrow.”