Italian Simone Inzaghi, coach of Al Hilal, confirmed that he is fully aware of the Qatari team Al Gharafa, which he will face tomorrow in the opening of the team’s campaign in the AFC Elite Champions League.
Inzaghi said in the press conference that preceded the match: We are familiar with Al Gharafa. We met them last year, and they have almost the same coach and players. They have fast strikers, and we will enter the match with all ferocity.
He continued: The Asian Championship is a big tournament that is dear to our hearts, and we are trying in today’s training to prepare well to play the first match in it. Watkins’ participation or not will be decided after today’s training. As for Summerville and Martinelli, they will participate in the match, and Bouabri will also be available in the match, and we will seek to use all the players available in this tournament.
He added: “We think about each match individually, and tomorrow is our first match in the tournament, and we emerged from the Al-Taawoun confrontation 48 hours ago, and we will strive to win the match, and the players are accustomed to pressure. We played 3 matches in a row, and yet we are still at the top of the standings in the league, and we are the best team on the offensive and defensive levels, and tomorrow we will open the Asian Championship page.”
For his part, Senegalese team defender Khalidou Koulibaly said: “It is a very important match as it is the opening of the tournament. We will face a respectable team in it, and we hope to win the match.”
He added: “Pressure is part of the match. There is no match without pressure, and Al Hilal is capable of dealing with pressure, and we always strive to provide the best and make our fans happy.”
Regarding the level he showed in the World Cup with his country’s national team, and later with Al Hilal this season, he said: “I went through a difficult period in the World Cup, and I am satisfied with what I presented in the current season, and I can still provide a lot, until Koulibaly returns to his usual level.”
Pedro Martinez, coach of the Qatari Al-Gharafa team, confirmed that facing Al-Hilal will be difficult, noting that Al-Hilal is one of the strongest teams in the tournament, but he stressed his team’s ability to compete and play a great match.
Martins said: “I am sure it will be a difficult match, as Al Hilal is one of the strongest teams in the tournament. It is true that our team is not going through its best stages, but we will give everything we have, and we have the capabilities that will help us compete.”
He added about the superiority of the Saudi teams: “This imbalance is natural given the capabilities that have been allocated to the Saudi teams, but we have the capabilities that help us play the match. We are not afraid, we can compete, and anything is possible in football.”
He continued: “We will enter tomorrow’s match with the aim of presenting a great match, and if our players play to their true potential, we will present a distinguished level.” It is true that some players are not fully physically ready, but I am sure that we will compete with Al Hilal.”
For his part, Adam Wannas, Al Gharafa player, affirmed his team’s respect for Al Hilal and its confidence in the capabilities of his teammates, noting that the team came to Riyadh to give everything it has.
Ounas said: “This is a strong match against a strong team that has high-caliber players, and we also have great players. We respect Al Hilal Club, and we are confident in our abilities, and we came here to give everything we have.”
He added: “We have a homogeneous team, and we must stick to our style and enter the match in a good way, while taking advantage of the opportunities that are available to us.”
Informed sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the management of Al-Shabab Club submitted yesterday to the Saudi Professional League a request to dismiss German coach Thomas Leach from his position, following a series of negative results that have accompanied the team since the start of the season.
The dismissal request came after Al-Shabab failed to achieve any victory during the first seven rounds of the league, in addition to their early exit from the King’s Cup competition, which are results that increased the level of pressure on the technical staff, and prompted the administration to move to end its association with the German coach before the gap in the standings widened.
The capital club is awaiting the approval of the association’s financial oversight before the official announcement, making Leic the second coach to be dismissed in the league this season, after Serbian Zarko Lazetic, coach of Al-Taawoun, as the beginning of the two teams was similar in the absence of victories since the start of the competition, before negative results led to the departure of the coaches.
Al-Shabab occupies 14th place in the league table, after collecting only four points out of a possible 21, with four draws and three losses, without achieving any victory during the first seven rounds, at the beginning of which was accompanied by an early exit from the King’s Cup against Al-Wahda with a score of 3-2.
