JEDDAH, 21 September 2005 — Defending champions Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli face critical second leg quarterfinal matches in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League today. Seeded in the last eight by virtue of their victory in last year’s tournament, Ittihad host Jinan club of China hoping to improve on their 1-1 draw in the first leg of their match last week in China.
Ittihad will enjoy support of the home crowd at Prince Abduillah Al-Faisal Stadium here, but at the same time they can ill afford any slipups considering the demanding bent of their fans.
Ahli took advantage playing at home in the first leg to score a 2-1 victory over another Chinese team Shenzhen.
With a one-goal lead, a draw is enough for Ahli to qualify for the semifinals. The are again expected to rely on the duo of Rogerio and Talal Al-Meshal up front.
