JEDDAH, 27 April 2008 — The second-leg matches for King’s Cup for Champions kicks off today with a fixture of two matches. Local favorites Al-Ittihad will host visiting Al-Ittifaq in a match that will determine the identity of the qualifier to the semifinals to face Al-Hilal.
Ittihad drew 1-1 against Ittifaq in first-leg match away in Dammam on April 18.
In the second match, Al-Shabab will host Al-Ahli in Riyadh in a match that already sport critics are calling a useless tie.
Ahli, in their first-leg match, got a 6-1 drubbing from Shabab in Jeddah on April 18.
The result shocked Ahli club and forced the club’s honorary board members to hold an emergency meeting last week to discuss the appointment of a new president. Despite its big margin of win, Shabab is expected to treat the game seriously, but there is speculation that the coach will rest key players in this match, and utilize them for another match against Al-Hazem in case Shabab qualify for the semifinals.
Ittihad’s fate in the King’s Cup is in jeopardy, especially since they failed take the early 1-0 advantage against Ittifaq and the surprising 1-0 defeat against Sepahan of Iran in the second leg match of AFC Champions League played in Jeddah last week.
The poor results put a question mark on Ittihad’s performance and their future in this competition.
Their next opponent, if they qualify, will be Hilal, who have already qualified for the next round after beating Al-Wehda 2-1 in Makkah on Friday.
