“Asian Champions”: Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad to advance together to the quarter-finals
Al Hilal team is looking forward to confirming its passage to the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League, when it hosts its guest, Sepahan Isfahan, Iran, in the second leg of the round of 16, while Al-Ittihad seeks to achieve a positive result against its guest, Navpakhor, Uzbekistan.
The Saudi teams are seeking to complete their excellence in the continental championship by reaching the quarter-finals, as there will be an expected confrontation between Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad if they qualify from the current round.
Al Hilal won the first leg by three goals to one to put a foot forward in the next round of the tournament, and Al-Azraq will launch its Asian matches at the Kingdom Arena, which is the new stadium that has become the stage for Al-Hilal’s matches, starting with the Riyadh Season Cup competitions that took place during the Saudi League suspension period.
Al-Hilal, led by Portuguese Jorge Jesus, has an exemplary record of victories, amounting to 22 matches in which it achieved successive victories until it competes for a world “record” in the number of consecutive victories. The Saudi Al Hilal coach said that his team is close to a world record in the number of consecutive victories, but this must ultimately lead to titles.
The coach said in a press conference before the match: “We are close to breaking a world record for consecutive victories, and this places the name of Al Hilal and the players in history, but this is not a championship. The most important thing is that successive victories bring you closer to achieving your goals.”
He added: “We all know that Thursday’s match will determine fate. We gained an advantage away from home, and we will face them in our usual way to overcome this round.”
Faisal Al-Ghamdi is relied upon by Al-Ittihad a lot to control the midfield (Al-Ittihad Club)
Al-Hilal succeeded in thwarting the surprise of Iranian Sepahan after it was able to turn the tables on its Iranian host, who led by a goal, and turned from behind to win by three, as the goals came late in the match.
The team is missing the services of Muhammad Al-Breik, who suffered a muscle injury during the match against Al-Raed in the Saudi Professional League, and Al-Breik will be absent for approximately two weeks.
The Capital Blue seems to be in good technical condition, which will nominate it to reach the quarter-finals. He is trying to regain the title he lost in the last edition of the Champions League after losing to Urawa of Japan.
The Saudi team relies on a number of prominent stars, led by the Serbian duo Aleksandar Mitrovic and Savic, the Portuguese Ruben Neves and the Moroccan Yassine Bono, in addition to prominent local names Salem Al-Dosari, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Ali Al-Bulaihi and Saud Abdul Hamid.
It is expected that Jesus, the leader’s coach, will work on rotating some names, especially after achieving a comfortable positive result in the first leg. This is to avoid fatigue among the players before the local competition heats up. Al-Hilal awaits two important matches against Al-Ettifaq and then Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Professional League.
As for the Iranian Sepahan team, it enters the confrontation looking for a win and nothing else, unlike Al Hilal, which will play on more than one possibility, winning, drawing, and even losing by a goal difference.
In Jeddah, Al-Ittihad will host its guest, Navbakhor of Uzbekistan, in the second leg of the round of 16, after the two teams tied 0-0 in the first leg, which was held in the Uzbek city of Namangan.
The federation, led by Argentine Gallardo, is experiencing a period of rising level and technical completion one match after another, especially after the return of French star Karim Benzema, who had been absent from the scene for several matches and the coach removed him by a technical decision until his technical readiness was complete.
Former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema participated in the team’s match against Riyadh in the twentieth round of the Saudi Professional League. He played approximately seventy minutes before his exit in preparation for his full return to the matches. Gallardo will put all his strength into the match in search of scoring an early goal that will relieve him in the remaining minutes of the match, especially since the Uzbek team is known for its skill in defensive formations that limit the danger of any team it faces.
Things will be different at the level of the Al-Ittihad team, which will witness great public support in the confrontation, especially since the team is looking forward to returning to the continental scene after its long absence. The last title he achieved came back in 2005.
Attention will be directed towards Moroccan Abdel Razzaq Hamdallah, who has become a difficult figure on the team’s map, and is strongly present in the team’s scoring scene, as he did in the Riyadh match. He scored two goals and gave his team the victory and the three points.
Al-Ittihad was revived with the return of the Egyptian Ahmed Hegazy, the leader of the defense line and a source of safety for it, despite the many changes occurring in the team’s defense line due to injuries, as Hegazy represents confidence for his teammates in the team in addition to his excellence in corner balls on the scoring side for his team.
As for the Uzbek team, Navbakhor, it is trying to achieve a surprise by eliminating Al-Ittihad, especially since the result of the first leg did not change the scene and the chances of qualifying, but the Uzbek team will face many obstacles in front of it, most notably the fan factor, which will leave its mark in the match.
2024-02-21 19:31:34
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