Al-Ittihad face key Asian test with four players ruled out against Al Jazira

Al-Ittihad will be without four players for their AFC Champions League Elite preliminary-round match against Al Jazira on Tuesday, with injuries and a lack of match fitness disrupting their preparations for the important tie.

The Saudi club will face Al Jazira at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, with a place in the league stage of Asia’s leading club competition at stake.

According to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiyah, defender Ahmed Sharahili and midfielder Mamadou Doumbia are both unavailable because they are continuing rehabilitation programmes as they recover from injury.

Al-Ittihad have also confirmed two further absences. Defender Saad Al-Mousa and forward Talal Haji have been left out of the squad after German head coach Jens Wissing decided neither player is ready to take part.

The rest of the squad is expected to be available for selection. Wissing will announce his final matchday group 48 hours before the game.

Al-Ittihad could call on 13 foreign players for the match. That number may rise to 14 if the club completes the signing of Senegal midfielder Dion Lopy from Spanish side Almeria.

The match represents an early test of Al-Ittihad’s ambitions for the new campaign. They are targeting a positive start to the season by overcoming Al Jazira and securing their place in the next stage of the AFC Champions League Elite.

The Saudi club are also hoping to revive memories of their most successful periods in the competition. They have not won the Asian title for 21 years and will be aiming to begin another challenge for the trophy by progressing from Tuesday’s preliminary tie.

Al-Ittihad completed their pre-season preparations with a training camp in Spain, where they played four friendly matches.

They won two of those games, beating South African club Orlando Pirates 3-2 and Spanish side Las Palmas 2-1. They then lost 4-2 to Real Mallorca before drawing 2-2 with Malaga.

Those results have given Wissing an opportunity to assess his squad ahead of the competitive campaign, although the absences of Sharahili, Doumbia, Al-Mousa and Haji will reduce his options for the opening Asian fixture.

With qualification determined by a single preliminary-round match, Al-Ittihad will need to manage their limited defensive and attacking choices carefully against Al Jazira. The winner will advance to the league stage of the AFC Champions League Elite, while the loser will miss out on the next phase of the tournament.

The club’s final squad announcement, due two days before kick-off, will confirm which of the available foreign players are selected and whether Lopy’s proposed move from Almeria has been completed in time for consideration.