Al-Taawoun faces Al-Nahda of Oman in the opening of the AFC Champions League 2

Al-Taawoun begins its journey in the AFC Champions League 2 on Wednesday, when it is a guest of Al-Nahda of Oman at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, in a confrontation in which the Saudi team looks to open a new page after a difficult local start that toppled its Serbian coach Zarko Lazetic, while the hosts enter the match with an unbeaten record in the Omani League.

The confrontation comes within the third group competitions, which includes, in addition to Al-Taawoun and Al-Nahda, both Al-Rayyan of Qatar and Al-Faisaly of Jordan, in a group during which the Saudi team is looking forward to booking one of the two qualification tickets and going far in a tournament that carries with it special memories.

Al-Taawoun returns to the AFC Champions League 2 after it was close to reaching the final of the tournament in its previous participation, when it reached the semi-finals before its journey stopped against Al-Sharjah, UAE. He won the first leg with a goal without a response, before losing the second leg by two and leaving the competition.

The tournament also carries close Saudi memories, after Al-Nasr reached the final of the last edition and was one of the most prominent candidates to embrace the title, before losing the final match to Japan’s Gamba Osaka at the “All Park” stadium in the capital, Riyadh.

But Al-Taawoun begins its continental participation this time in completely different circumstances from the image it used to appear in, as it is experiencing one of its most difficult local beginnings, after seven rounds in the Saudi Professional League passed without achieving any victory.

The team collected only 3 points from three draws compared to four losses, to occupy the penultimate place, in a start during which it moved away from its usual levels and identity that made it over the past seasons one of the teams capable of competing with the adults.

The 6-0 loss to Al Hilal in the seventh round marked the end of Serbian Zarko Lazetic's career, as the club management announced his dismissal after a series of negative results, and temporarily assigned the task to Syrian Jihad Al Hussein.

Jihad Al-Hussein, who was coaching the U-21 team, begins his mission in a sensitive situation, as facing Al-Nahda will be his first test, and he hopes to lead the team to a victory that will restore some of the lost confidence and give it a morale boost before entering the break.

The continental championship appears to be an opportunity for cooperation in order to temporarily move away from the pressures of the league and start a different stage, especially since an away victory in the opening round will be important in the group’s calculations, in addition to its moral impact on a team searching for its first victory this season.

Al-Taawoun has a number of names capable of making a difference, led by Moroccan Abderrazak Hamdallah, whom the team relies on offensively, along with Ivorian Parfait Giagon, Marine Petkov, captain Achraf El Mahdioui, and defender Oscar Duarte, while Brazilian Milson Santos is present in goalkeeping.

The team's options also include a number of local names, led by Muhammad Al-Kuwaikbi, Aoun Al-Saluli, Bassam Al-Huraiji, and Ibrahim Mahnashi, who comes from Al-Qadisiyah, in addition to defender Nasser Halil, the team's latest signing after joining from Al-Najma.

On the other hand, Al-Nahda enters the confrontation in more stable conditions, after recording a good start in the Omani League and maintaining its record without loss during its first three matches.

Al-Nahda has 7 points from two victories and a draw, which is a start that gives the team a great deal of confidence before receiving cooperation and trying to invest the ground staff and the public to achieve a successful continental start.

The team is led by British coach Scott Caldrod, who relies on a mixture of experienced elements and Omani international names, led by veteran goalkeeper Fayez Al-Rashidi, who has extensive experience in continental participations, along with Hareb Al-Saadi, Muhammad Al-Ghafri, Ghanem Al-Habashi and Ahmed Al-Kaabi.

The list of foreign professionals in Al-Nahda includes Devana Anderson, Albanian playmaker Fallon Ahmadi, and Lebanese Karim Darwish, in addition to Dutch striker Lars Veldwijk, which gives the team multiple options for a guest looking to regain its balance.

Confrontation carries importance beyond the three-point calculations for cooperation. The team enters it looking for a new beginning under temporary technical leadership, and a first victory that ends a series that extended seven local matches without a win, while Al-Nahda is looking to transfer its good local start to the continental championship and capitalize on its competitor’s wavering condition.