Al-Ittihad will be without four players for their AFC Champions League Elite preliminary-round match against Al Jazira on Tuesday, with injuries and a lack of match fitness affecting the Saudi club’s preparations for the Asian campaign.
The two sides will meet at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi in a play-off for a place in the league stage of the competition.
According to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiyah, defender Ahmed Sharahili and Mali midfielder Mamadou Doumbia are both unavailable because they are continuing rehabilitation programmes as they recover from injury.
Al-Ittihad will also be missing defender Saad Al-Mousa and forward Talal Haji. The two players have been left out of the squad by German head coach Jens Vising because they are not yet ready to take part in the match.
The club said the rest of the squad should be available for selection. Vising is expected to announce his matchday list 48 hours before the game.
The coach will be able to choose from 13 foreign players for the contest. That number could rise to 14 if Al-Ittihad complete the signing of Senegal midfielder Dion Lopy from Spanish club Almeria.
The match represents an important early test for Al-Ittihad as they seek to begin the new season positively and secure their place in the next stage of Asia’s leading club competition. The Saudi side are also hoping to revive their continental fortunes and end a 21-year wait to win the title again.
Al-Ittihad last lifted the Asian trophy in 2005, when they defeated Al Ain in the final. The club have since remained one of the prominent teams in the region but have been unable to add another continental crown to their honours.
Their preparations for the new campaign included a four-match training camp in Spain. Al-Ittihad won two of those fixtures, beating South African club Orlando Pirates 3-2 and Las Palmas 2-1.
They then suffered a 4-2 defeat by Real Mallorca before finishing the camp with a 2-2 draw against Malaga.
The results have given the squad competitive preparation ahead of the meeting with Al Jazira, although the absences of Sharahili, Doumbia, Al-Mousa and Haji will reduce the options available to Vising for the decisive fixture.
Victory in Abu Dhabi would allow Al-Ittihad to progress to the league stage of the AFC Champions League Elite, while defeat would end their hopes of taking part in the main phase of the competition this season.
