Al Hilal is looking forward to restoring its reputation against Al Sadd of Qatar, when it hosts them, on Tuesday, at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in the capital, Doha, in the second round of the Al-Gharb region competitions in the AFC Champions League for the elite, in a confrontation that carries a nature of revenge after the Qatari team eliminated its Saudi counterpart from the last edition on penalties, while Al-Ittihad seeks to achieve its first victory in the tournament when it receives the Emirati youth Al-Ahly at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium (the Radiant Jewel) in Jeddah.
The confrontation between Al Hilal and Al Sadd is of particular importance. Not only because it brings together two teams that have previously won the continental title, but because it witnesses Al Hilal’s meeting with its former coach, the Romanian Razvan Lucescu, who led it to regain the Asian title after years of absence, before returning to face it this time from the seats of the technical staff of the Qatari team.
The match comes in different circumstances for both teams. Al Hilal enters the confrontation in high spirits after its exciting victory over its rival Al-Ittihad with a score of 3-2 in the Saudi Professional League, while Al-Sadd suffers from a decline in its results locally and continentally, after suffering two successive losses to the Iranian Esteghlal and the Qatari Al-Arabi.
Al-Hilal had begun its journey in the current edition of the tournament with a victory over Al-Gharafa of Qatar, to obtain the first 3 points in the journey to regain the title that it won for the last time in 2021, while looking forward to achieving its second victory in a row and strengthening its position in the Western Region ranking table.
Al Hilal carries painful memories from its last match against Al Sadd, after its campaign in the last edition ended at the hands of the Qatari team on penalties, even though it was one of the most prominent candidates to compete for the title, after topping the league stage in the Al Gharb region.
The Saudi team seeks to overcome those memories and achieve a positive result in Doha, benefiting from the good technical and moral state it is in following its recent victory in El Clásico, during which it demonstrated the ability of its players to deal with major confrontations and resolve them.
Al Hilal is relying on its offensive capabilities and the ability of its players to make a difference, especially after its success in scoring 3 goals against Al-Ittihad, in a confrontation that strengthened the team’s confidence before its trip to Doha, but the team is missing the Dutch player Summerville, who was suspended by a disciplinary decision for 3 matches.
On the other hand, Al-Sadd finds itself facing a difficult test to restore balance, after beginning its Asian participation with a heavy loss to Iranian Esteghlal, with 3 goals to none, in an unexpected result for a team aspiring to compete for the continental title.
The Qatari team's troubles doubled after it suffered its first loss in the local league against Al-Arabi with a score of 3-2, giving up the lead it had maintained for 4 weeks, which increased the pressure on its coach Razvan Lucescu before facing his former team.
In Jeddah, Al-Ittihad will receive its counterpart, Shabab Al-Ahly of the Emirates, at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, looking for its first victory in the tournament, after being content with a draw against Al-Shamal of Qatar, with a goal for each team in the opening round.
Al-Ittihad enters the confrontation under pressure to compensate, after losing to Al-Hilal with a score of 3-2 in El Clasico, which is the first loss the team has suffered this season, after it was close to returning the result during the last minutes.
The Al-Ittihad team hopes to quickly overcome the effects of the local loss, and to exploit the advantage of playing on its home soil and among its fans, to achieve a victory that strengthens its position in the Western Region ranking table.
Al-Ittihad had survived a loss in its opening match against Al-Shamal of Qatar, after the Qatari team took the lead with a goal scored by Algerian Baghdad Bounedjah, before Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum equalized for Al-Ittihad in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
That dramatic end gave Al-Ittihad one point, but it revealed its need to improve its performance and avoid falling behind in the result, especially against competitors who have the ability to exploit opportunities.
Al-Ittihad, which has won the Asian title twice, seeks to present a better image to Shabab Al-Ahly, taking advantage of the technical capabilities it possesses, in addition to its desire to restore the tone of victories after losing El Clásico.
On the other hand, Shabab Al-Ahly arrives in Jeddah with 3 points, after opening their campaign by defeating Iranian Tractor with a free goal, scored by Brazilian Youri Cesar early in the match.
The Emirati team aspires to continue its successful start and achieve a positive result outside its homeland, benefiting from the confidence it gained after the first round, in a confrontation that it realizes will be difficult in front of Al-Ittihad and its fans.
The match is of special importance for both teams. Al-Ittihad is looking for its first victory and avoiding a new stumble that might affect its position in the standings, while Shabab Al-Ahly is seeking to achieve its second victory in a row and enhance its chances of competing for advanced positions.
The contradiction between the financial situation of Al-Taawoun Club and the results of its football team has become a prominent feature of its current crisis, after the announced financial statements for the 2025-2026 sports season revealed a surplus exceeding 35 million riyals, at a time when the team fell to the penultimate place in the Saudi Professional League standings, despite the management’s contract with 11 foreign players over two seasons, and the departure of five local players to other clubs. This opens the door to questions about the efficiency of technical and administrative decisions and their ability to preserve the club’s gains.
The financial statements of the cooperation showed revenues amounting to 250 million, 285 thousand and 427 riyals, compared to expenses amounting to 214 million, 747 thousand and 452 riyals, with a financial surplus amounting to 35 million, 537 thousand and 975 riyals. These are numbers that reflect a positive financial result, but in return they raise questions about the extent to which resource management reflects on the team’s performance, especially since the financial surplus does not necessarily mean that the entire amount was available to spend on Contracts or strengthening ranks.
Attention is turning to the policy of foreign contracts, after the administration attracted 11 players during the past and current seasons, without these moves being reflected in the team’s results in the desired way. Last season's roster included four players: Fulgini, Bale, Hugo, and Zambrano, before the management made extensive changes this season.
The new season’s contracts included seven players, namely: Abdel Razzaq Hamdallah, Zinedine Belaid, Younes El Bahraoui, Oscar Durley, Parfait, Nadim Bayrami, and Jair Colahou, in an attempt to reshape the team and enhance its technical capabilities. However, the current results have raised questions about the technical value added by these deals, and the extent of their compatibility with the team’s needs and positions, which required qualitative support.
The experience of last season, which witnessed the signing of four players who did not make the expected addition before replacing others with them, imposed a more careful review of the selection mechanism, instead of entering into a new round of contracts without achieving the required improvement, especially since the success of the transfer market is not measured by the number of attracted names, but rather by their ability to make a difference and improve results.
The transformations were not limited to foreign players; The team witnessed the departure of five local players, after Walid Al-Ahmad moved to Al-Qadisiyah, Saad Al-Nasser to Al-Nasr, Sultan Mandash and Muhammad Mahzri to Al-Hilal, and Abdel-Fattah Adam to Al-Ula. These transfers put the policy of preserving and replacing influential local elements under the microscope.
Although selling player contracts represents one of the legitimate sources of revenue for clubs, the success of this policy is linked to the management’s ability to provide alternatives that maintain technical balance, so that the financial gains resulting from transfers do not turn into sporting losses that affect the team’s strength and ability to compete.
The current decline comes after years that witnessed an advanced presence of cooperation in the league. It ended the 2022 season in fifth place, then advanced to fourth place in 2023, before falling to eighth place in 2024, and returning to sixth place in 2025, a result that reflects the team’s ability during that period to compete in the advanced positions, compared to its current position in the penultimate position.
Brazilian Angelo, a player for Al-Nasr team, who won the best player award against Neftchi in the elite AFC Champions League competitions, confirmed that his team’s ambitions do not stop at achieving one victory, stressing that the victory mentality is based on competition and the search for victory in all matches, regardless of the identity of the competitor or the nature of the tournament.
Angelo said, during the press conference that followed the confrontation: “We are Al-Nasr, and when we enter the field, our goal is always to achieve victory.”
The Brazilian player admitted that his team did not perform at the level hoped for during its first match in the Asian Championship, stressing the importance of benefiting from mistakes and working to develop performance in the upcoming confrontations.
He added: “We did not provide the required level in our first match in the AFC Champions League for the elite, and as I said before, we are Al-Nasr and we enter every match with the aim of winning, and we always strive to provide the best and achieve the results that our fans aspire to.”
Regarding the difference in his position on the field compared to last season, Angelo explained that the change is related to the technical vision of the coaching staff, pointing to his ability to adapt to the roles that are required of him, whether on the right or left side.
He said in response to a question about the position he prefers to play in: “For me, I play in the same position, but the coaches’ ideas and technical vision differ. I started the season on the right side, and now I play on the left side, because the coach believes that I perform better in this position.”
Angelo pointed out that tactical flexibility represents one of the important aspects of Al-Nasr’s performance, explaining that the method of play changes according to the nature of the opponent and the requirements of each confrontation, in addition to the roles that the players perform on the field.
He added: “The playing style and method of performance differ according to the opponent, and playing alongside distinguished players such as Al-Khibari and Costa is positive for the team. Each match has its own requirements and method according to the nature of the opponent.”
In a message addressed to Al-Nasr fans, the Brazilian player stressed the importance of continued public support, stressing that the stands standing behind the team represents a great motivation for the players, especially in light of the competition for more than one championship.
He said: “We always need our fans and their support for us, as they did last season when they stood behind us and we won the league title.”
