The national representative team, Al-Ittihad, aims to regain balance and revive its hopes of qualifying for the second stage of the AFC Champions League Elite when it faces its guest, UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli, at 9:15 PM today (Tuesday) at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, as part of the second round of the West Zone competition.

The two teams meet for the first time, but Al-Ittihad has a good record against Emirati teams, with its loss last round against Al Wahda being its first in eight matches, having won all other encounters.

With strong fan support and the return of several players who missed the first match, Al-Ittihad will seek the three points against Shabab Al Ahli, but will have to play without its French coach Laurent Blanc, who was dismissed following unsatisfactory results this season, the latest being a loss to Al Nassr in the Saudi league on Friday.

On the other hand, Shabab Al Ahli, the UAE league champion, also had a difficult start, as they had to come from behind to secure a draw against Tractor from Iran. Despite that, they were the more dominant side, taking 28 shots, confirming they will be a tough opponent for Al-Ittihad, which suffers from inconsistent performance.

The third round of the West Zone competition will be held on October 20 and 21, with matches including Al Wahda vs Al Duhail in Abu Dhabi, Al Shorta vs Al Ittihad in Baghdad, Al Sharjah vs Tractor in Sharjah, Al Ahli vs Al Gharafa in Jeddah on October 20, and Shabab Al Ahli vs Nasaf in Dubai, Al Hilal vs Al Sadd in Riyadh on October 21.

Today’s Match:
Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) × Shabab Al Ahli (UAE)