Al-Taawoun Saudi Arabia is looking forward to putting an end to its series of negative results, and achieving its first victory this season, when it hosts its Qatari counterpart, Al-Rayyan, on Wednesday, at the “Wolves Park” stadium in Buraidah, in the second round of the third group competitions in the second AFC Champions League, in a confrontation that gains double importance for the Saudi team, which hopes that the continental championship will be its gateway to regaining balance after a faltering start in the Saudi Professional League.
Al-Taawoun enters the confrontation amid increasing pressure, after suffering a heavy loss against Al-Shabab, with three goals to none, in the eighth round of the league, extending its suffering in the search for the first victory, after it was satisfied with collecting three points that placed it in sixteenth place in the ranking table.
The Asian confrontation comes at a sensitive time for the team, which is going through a transitional period at the technical level, after Serbian Vuk Razovic took over the task of coaching it, succeeding his compatriot Zarko Lazetic, as the Al Rayyan match will be the second test for the new coach, who seeks to bring about a rapid transformation in the performance of his players and their results.
Razovic had begun his mission with a loss to Al-Shabab, in a match that revealed the continued defensive problems that Al-Taawoun suffers from, in addition to the lack of offensive effectiveness, despite the team’s attempts to return to the atmosphere of confrontation.
After the loss, the Serbian coach acknowledged that Al-Shabab had the advantage and deserved the victory, pointing out that individual and organizational errors were behind the goals scored, especially the first and second goals.
Razovic said during the press conference after the match: “I would like to congratulate Al-Shabab on the victory. They were the better side, and they succeeded in scoring three goals. They also imposed control over periods of the confrontation, while we committed easy mistakes that cost us a lot.”
He added: “We conceded goals in an unacceptable manner, especially the first and second goals. The second goal was an important turning point in the match, and it is difficult to face a team that has the quality of youth players when such mistakes are committed.”
The Al-Taawoun coach stressed the need to address the shortcomings, saying: “We must admit that the competitor was the best, and if we want to be more serious and competitive, these aspects must be addressed.”
The defensive organization will be one of the most prominent files that Razovic is expected to work on, in light of the mistakes that appeared against the youth, and the need to deal better with the offensive transformations of competitors, especially against a team that has the ability to reach the goal and score goals.
The challenges of cooperation are not limited to the defensive side, as the team also needs to restore its offensive effectiveness and improve its ability to invest opportunities, after it was unable to score against Al-Shabab, in a confrontation that confirmed the need for its players to provide better levels in the final third of the field.
Al-Taawoun had begun its campaign in the Asian Championship with a draw against Al-Nahda of Oman with a goal for each team outside its homeland, after targeting a late goal that prevented it from achieving its first victory in the competition, so that it was satisfied with one point at the beginning of its continental journey.
The Saudi team hopes to invest in the ground and public staff to achieve its first victory and reach the fourth point, thus enhancing its chances of competing for one of the qualifying cards for the knockout rounds.
On the other hand, Al Rayyan comes to Buraidah leading the third group with three points, after opening its campaign with an exciting victory over Al-Faisaly of Jordan by four goals to three, in a confrontation that showed its offensive strength, but also revealed some defensive gaps that Al-Taawoun may seek to exploit.
The Qatari team aspires to achieve its second victory in a row and strengthen its lead in the group, benefiting from the morale it is in after its opening victory. However, it realizes that facing Al-Taawoun on home soil will be a different test, especially in light of the home team’s urgent need for victory.
In the other confrontation within the same group, Al-Faisaly of Jordan hosts its counterpart Al-Nahda of Oman at the Amman International Stadium, in a match during which the Jordanian team seeks to compensate for its loss to Al-Rayyan, while Al-Nahda looks forward to achieving its first victory after tying with Al-Taawoun in the opening round.
Al-Faisaly enters the confrontation without points, after losing to Al-Rayyan with a score of 4-3, while Al-Nahda has one point, which gives the match great importance in the race for the qualification cards.
The Asian confrontation comes at a sensitive time for the Al-Taawoun team, which is experiencing a transitional stage at the technical level
The Saudi “Al-Ittifaq” will begin its journey in the Gulf Champions League, on Wednesday, when it hosts “Kazma” of Kuwait at the “Ego” Stadium in the city of Dammam, in a confrontation during which the hosts will recall their rich history in the tournament in which they won the title three times, and look forward to a strong start that will return them to the path of competing for a title that has been missing from the club’s coffers for 20 years.
The match holds special importance for the two agreements, who view the Gulf Championship as part of their club’s legacy and history, after its first title was in 1983, before adding the second title in 1988, and the third in 2006, becoming the most crowned club in the tournament, while its last participation in the final match was in 2007, before it was content with reaching the semi-finals two editions ago.
The Al-Ittifaq administration chose to evoke this history in a different way before the start of the competitions, through a public campaign inspired by the popular heritage of the Eastern Region, which included filming old-style celebrations in the neighborhoods of Dammam, inspired by the customs of “Nawakhtha” on happy occasions, and with the participation of a number of former club stars. In an attempt to connect current generations with the team’s history and motivate fans to come to the stands.
The confrontation comes at a time when Al-Ittifaq is looking to regain its balance after a volatile start in the Saudi Professional League, in addition to its early exit from the King’s Cup, which gives the Gulf Championship additional importance as one of the opportunities available to the team to compete for titles this season.
Australian coach Arthur Pappas hopes to invest in the ground and crowd factors to achieve the three points, relying on the offensive options he has, led by Frenchman Moussa Dembélé and Khaled Al-Ghanem, after he focused, during recent training, on improving effectiveness in the final offensive third and investing in opportunities in front of goal.
On the other hand, Pappas seeks to address the gaps that appeared in the midfield during the past matches, especially when losing the ball and defensive transitions, a problem that emerged in the last match against Al-Khaleej in the league, when Al-Ittifaq was able to quickly reach its opponent’s areas, but it suffered counterattacks that exposed spaces in its midfield and defence, in the absence of Scottish defender Jack Hendry.
Al-Ittifaq faces an additional challenge, represented by the pressure of matches, during the next stage, as it is expected to play 8 matches within one month, distributed between the Saudi League and the Gulf Championship, which forces the technical staff to deal with the physical readiness and rotation of players, without affecting the team’s chances in the two competitions.
Pappas said, in response to a question from Asharq Al-Awsat about his team’s readiness for this pressure: “We are working on both sides, and we simulated this pressure by increasing the training routine and preparing to play a match every three days. We attach great importance to both tournaments, and we are confident in the ability of our players to give their best in all matches.”
The Australian coach stressed the importance of respecting all competitors, and not belittling any team, whether in local or Gulf championships, as this is a basis for achieving positive results.
For his part, Abdullah Al-Khatib, defender of Al-Ittifaq, confirmed that his team is looking forward to going far in the Gulf Championship, indicating that the pressure of matches, after the suspension period, will not be an excuse for any decline in performance, and that the players realize the importance of appearing at the level that befits the club’s history and the aspirations of its fans.
On the other hand, Kuwaiti “Kazma” enters the confrontation amid difficult technical conditions, in the absence of a number of its players, led by Bandar Bouresli. Due to his connection to work conditions, and Khaled Shaman due to the death of his brother, while the medical team is working to prepare Shabib Al-Khalidi and Nasser Falih, who left the field during the last “Al-Arabi” confrontation.
The Kuwaiti team arrived in Dammam two days before the match, and conducted its training at Al-Ittifaq Stadium, under the supervision of its Croatian coach, Dragan Dadic, who seeks to deal with the absences and take advantage of the available elements to achieve a positive result outside his homeland.
Dadic is looking forward to returning with at least a point from the match against Dammam, as a start that can be built upon during the rest of the group matches, especially in light of the importance of avoiding loss in the opening round.
The draw for the Saudi Super Cup for the 2026-2027 sports season will be drawn in Kuwait on Wednesday, with the participation of four clubs: Al-Nasr, Al-Ahly, Al-Qadisiyah and Al-Khuloud, to determine the two semi-final matches for the tournament scheduled to be held during the period from 19 to 23 December.
The draw ceremony will take place at 12:30 pm at the St. Regis Hotel in Kuwait, in the presence of representatives of the Saudi and Kuwaiti Football Federations and the four participating clubs. The draw will determine the two semi-final matches scheduled for December 19 and 20, with the final match being held on the 23 of the same month.
Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium will host the three matches, in the thirteenth edition of the competition, which during its history witnessed changes in the participation system, after it began with one confrontation bringing together the champions of the league and the King’s Cup, before adopting the four-team system and holding the semi-final and final matches.
Kuwait is included in the list of countries that hosted the Saudi Super Cup outside the Kingdom, after the competition was previously held in a number of cities and capitals during its previous editions.
The tournament began in 2013 in Mecca, before moving between Riyadh, Jeddah, and Abha, while the British capital, London, was the first foreign stop for the competition, and hosted three editions in 2015, 2016, and 2018. Then the tournament moved to Abu Dhabi in 2024, before Hong Kong hosted the last edition in 2025.
Thus, Kuwait becomes the eighth city to host the competition, the fourth destination outside the Kingdom, and the sixth in terms of the number of editions held outside Saudi territory.
The last edition in Hong Kong witnessed Al-Ahly winning the title at the expense of Al-Nasr, after the final match ended in a 2-2 draw, before Al-Ahly won on penalty kicks with a score of 5-3, to achieve its second title in the history of the competition.
The next edition holds the possibility of a renewed confrontation between Al-Ahly and Al-Nasr, whether in the semi-finals or the final, according to the outcome of the draw, while Al-Qadisiyah and Al-Khuloud look forward to competing for the title against the two teams that previously won the championship.
