Shabab Al-Ahly will meet with Al-Rayyan of Qatar in Doha, today, at seven o’clock UAE time, for the UAE-Qatari Challenge Shield, which brings together the two teams that won runner-up last season in the ADNOC Professional League and Qatar Stars League respectively, and Shabab Al-Ahly is searching for a title. New after he succeeded last season in winning the UAE-Qatari Super Cup.
The situation of the two teams differs this season, as Shabab Al-Ahly currently occupies the second place in the league, and has not suffered any loss so far. It also succeeded in winning the Super Cup title at the expense of Al-Wasl, and is currently experiencing an ideal period, while Al-Rayyan is suffering by being in fifth place in the Qatari league table. It suffered six defeats this season, winning five and drawing one match, which prompted its board of directors to dismiss the team’s former coach, Younis Ali, and sign a contract with the Portuguese Artur Jorge, to lead the team until 2027. Which means that today’s match will witness Portuguese technical management outside the lines, especially since the Portuguese, Paulo Sousa, has been coaching Shabab Al-Ahly since the beginning of the season.
Both teams had achieved victory in their last matches in the league, as Shabab Al-Ahly succeeded in defeating its host Al-Ain in the “Emirati Football Classico” with a goal to none, keeping its record undefeated, while Al-Rayyan defeated Umm Salal with a large score of 6-2, in The Portuguese coach’s first match with the team.
The two teams include an elite group of stars, led by Kartabia, Iranian Sardar Azmoun, Youri Cesar, Hareb Ali, and Yahya Al-Ghassani in Shabab Al-Ahly. On the other hand, Al-Rayyan includes Moroccan star Ashraf Ben Sharqi, Egyptian international Mahmoud Trezeguet, David Garcia and other stars, which indicates a strong match.
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