JEDDAH, 18 May 2005 — Bitter rivals Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal knock each other out for a spot in the final when they clash today in the semifinal second leg in the Arab Champions League at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here.
Ittihad of Jeddah take a slender one-goal lead to the match where the winner on aggregate will advance to a final battle against either Al-Ahli or Sfaxin of Tunisia.
Sfaxin host an Ahli side who face a formidable task of winning by at least four goals to make it after absorbing an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at home in the semifinal first leg.
A solitary goal by Abdullah Al-Waked gave Ittihad a 1-0 victory in the semifinal first leg in Riyadh.
A draw would be enough to guarantee Ittihad a berth in the final to be played in Jeddah.
With an advantage of playing before a home crowd, Ittihad should wrap things up against their rivals from the Saudi capital. No less than 26,000 fans from both sides are expected to watch the do-or-die match, officials say.
Should the match end in a draw on aggregate the away rule applies in which case Ittihad will go through.
In Sfaxin, Tunisia, some 380 kilometers from the capital, Sfaxin are expected to play defensively the whole match having banked three goals in their last outing against Ahli.
Ahli’s striking force of Talal Al-Meshal and Rogerio must deliver the goals in a flash if the team are to overturn a 3-0 deficit.
