JEDDAH, 18 April 2008 — Al-Ittifaq host visiting Al-Ittihad in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the King’s Cup for Champions starting today at the Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd Stadium in Dammam while Al-Ahli will face Al-Shahbab in another encounter at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.
Ittihad enter the match with Hamza Idrees as the new coach. The team had earlier fired
Esteban Suarez from Brazil, who had failed to lead Ittihad to victory in the final match of the Saudi Premier League against Al-Hilal on Sunday. Ittihad lost the match 1-0, and this cost them the league title.
Ittihad have arrived in Dammam to get ready for the important match. Idrees is looking to win against Ittifaq, though he considers them tough opponent.
“Ittihad must not exit empty-handed especially after leading the entire Saudi League,” said Idrees, who sees tough times ahead with Ittihad’s main striker Keta, who received a two-match suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct in the final league encounter, missing the tie. Talal Al-Mishal is expected to play in the striking line and Osama Al-Muwallad is expected to substitute Reda Takur in the defense line.
Ahli’s match against Shabab will be a tough one as Ahli have failed to convince their fans with their low-profile approach in all local competitions. Ahli finished eighth in the league while Shabab took third position.
Ahli’s Serbian coach Nebusha was also sacked, and Yousuf Anbar, a Saudi coach, takes over at the helm until a suitable replacement for Nebusha becomes available for next season.
Shabab on the other hand are better prepared than Ahli when it comes to player readiness. Ahli will be without team captain Hussein Abdulghani, who was suspended for two matches after assaulting a security officer after their match against Najran.
