JEDDAH, 1 April 2007 — Al-Ittihad will take on Al-Ittifaq in the first leg semifinal match of the Crown Prince Cup soccer competition in Dammam.
Ittihad will face a tough time against a rejuvenated Ittifaq team, who have proven a tough nut to crack in the Gulf Cup Championship for Clubs. Ittihad, who crushed all the teams on the road to semifinals, could find Ittifaq a handful, especially on their home turf.
On the run of form, Ittihad look the stronger side after their crushing 6-1 win over Al-Taie in the Round of 16 and then a 10-0 drubbing of Najran in the quarterfinals. For Ittihad this will be the first real test in the tourney.
Ittifaq won the first match against Al-Khaleej 2-1 in the Round of 16 and then caused a stunner when they defeated Al-Shabab in the quarterfinals 1-0.
There was good news for Ittihad with midfielder Manaf Abu Shgeer reporting fit after being sidelined by injury. With his expected return to the playing side, the Ittihad coach in all likelihood could play with one striker using the 4-5-1 formation.
Meanwhile in the Saudi League, Al-Hilal defeated Al-Taie 2-0 in Hail. Hilal scored both the goals in the second half. Tariq Al-Tayeb struck in the 60th minute and then Rodrigo embellished the score in the 79th minute. Hilal defender Fahd Al-Mufarrej will miss the next two games after being shown the red card. With the victory, Hilal strengthen their position in the first place with 47 points and are seven points ahead of second-placed Al-Wehda.
