Al-Ahli Youth team will recall the memory of its victory by eight goals to two, when the match will be renewed at seven thirty this evening against its host, Al-Gharafa of Qatar, in a match that will bring them together at Al-Bayt Stadium in the Qatari capital, Doha, for the second preliminary round qualifying for the group stage of the AFC Champions League for the elite.
Al-Ahly Youth qualified for the second preliminary round after its deserved victory on the sixth of this month against its host, Sepahan Isfahan of Iran, with a score of 4-1 in the first preliminary round.
Al-Ahli youth are armed in today’s match with the memory of their eight-goal victory over Al-Gharafa, in a match that brought them together in April 2022 at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in the fourth round of Group Three of the AFC Champions League, during which the following scored for Al-Ahli youth: Thomas Olsen and Aziz Ganiev (two goals each), Harb Abdullah, Federico Cartabia, Mohammed Jumaa and Abdulaziz Sanqour, while Ahmed Alaa El-Din and Sofian Hani scored Al-Gharafa’s goals.
The Shabab Al Ahli delegation headed to Doha the day before yesterday, before the “Dubai Knights” concluded the basic training yesterday, in which the technical staff was keen to put the “final touches” on the lineup and the match plan, in a match in which Portuguese coach Paulo Sousa is expected to rely on the same elements that shone against Sepahan, and contributed effectively to achieving victory, most notably the new arrival, Iranian star Sardar Azmoun, who gave his team the equalizer against Sepahan with his first touch upon entering in the 62nd minute, and allowed his team to go to extra time, which witnessed the brilliance of his teammates Yahya Al Ghassani, who scored two goals in the 101st and 121st minutes, and substitute Yuri Cesar in the 108th minute.
On the other hand, Al Gharafa Club began its intensive preparations to face Shabab Al Ahli, after its goalless draw with Al Khor in the first round of the Qatari League.
Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martinez is relying on a similar lineup to the one that faced Al Khor in the league opener, led by goalkeeper Khalifa Abu Bakr, Tunisian international Ferjani Sassi, Spaniard Jose Luis Mato, and Romanian Florinel Coman.
It is worth noting that the match between Shabab Al Ahli and Al Gharafa will grant the winning team a qualification card for the West Asia region, while the winner of the match between the Chinese team Shandong Taishan and the Thai team Bangkok United will obtain a qualification card for the East Asia region, so that the two qualified teams will join the 22 clubs that qualified directly to the group stage in the Asian Elite League.
Souza: I am happy that my ideas are being implemented by the players
Shabab Al Ahli coach Paulo Sousa announced the readiness of the “Dubai Knights” to face Al Gharafa of Qatar.
The coach explained that the team seeks to compete strongly in this tournament, and said: “We are playing this match against a strong team that has distinguished players and a stable technical staff for some time. We are playing with our identity that we seek to establish. I am happy with the implementation of my ideas by the players, and I hope that we will play a balanced match and achieve the desired result.”
The coach considered that today’s match is not like the match against Sepahan in the previous stage, and the match against Al-Gharafa will be dealt with differently, indicating that his strategy in all matches is to work on achieving victory and progress in the tournaments by preparing the team and players well, stressing that the team has the ambition and ability to compete in all tournaments.
• Al-Ahly youth won in the first preliminary round against its host, Sepahan Isfahan of Iran, with a score of 4-1.
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