Al-Ahly will meet Al-Hussein Irbid of Jordan tonight at ten o’clock in the evening at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League 2.
Al-Ahly is seeking to continue its successful journey in the continental championship, after it was able to overcome Iran’s Sebhan in the eighth-final stage on aggregate (3-2), following a draw in the first leg with two goals to the same, and winning the return leg with a clean goal at Al Thumama Stadium. Al-Ahly hopes to follow the same approach and achieve a new positive result, after it managed during the group stage to lead the second group, collecting 10 points without suffering any loss, by winning two matches and drawing four matches.
Coach Younis Ali’s team realizes the importance of playing today’s decisive match with a high degree of focus, and striving to outperform its competitor in both defensive and offensive aspects, in order to secure passage to the next round of the continental competition.
Al-Ahly enters the match with high morale motivation, after defeating Al-Duhail in the last round of the Qatari League by two goals to one.
Al-Ahly is counting on a group of prominent players in its ranks, such as Omar Sekou, the Spaniard Eric Hernandez, in addition to the Dutchman Michel Flapp and the German Julian Draxler, as the quartet represents the team’s striking attacking force.
On the other hand, Al-Hussein Irbid of Jordan was able to reach the quarter-finals at the expense of Iranian Esteghlal, on aggregate (4-2), by winning the first leg with a clean goal and the second leg with three goals to two.
In the group stage, the Jordanian team topped its third group with 9 points, after achieving three wins and one loss.
Younis Ali: You play on simple details
Al-Ahly coach Younis Ali confirmed his team’s aspiration to win and advance to the semi-finals against Al-Hussein Irbid of Jordan. He said, “Al-Ahly will face a strong team that is distinguished by its results in the continental championship and the Jordanian League. He has followed it well and knows how strong it is as a competitor, so he prepared his team to be at the best physical and mental level to play the match.” The coach explained that his team will play a decisive match, which requires the highest effort and is different from the previous stage, which was a home-and-away system, so the focus must be present at all times in order to obtain the pass. The coach stressed his full respect for the rival Al-Hussein team, pointing out that the match will not be easy for them, as they are a strong team and characterized by many good technical aspects, especially in set pieces, so his team prepared well for this match. Younis Ali pointed out that such matches are played on small details, and there is no room for compensation, expressing his confidence in the ability of his players to perform at a distinguished level in the match and achieve the desired result.
Franco: We are under pressure
Brazilian Ney Franco, the Jordanian coach of Al-Hussein Irbid, expressed his happiness with his team’s presence in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League 2.
He said in his statements in the press conference before the match: We are happy to be here, and we realize the importance of the difficult confrontation, and we are fully prepared for our strong competitor, and we look forward to appearing in a distinguished appearance, achieving victory, and qualifying for the semi-finals.
He added: We are going through a special period locally, and the Asian Championship represents a great motivation for us, and the fact that Jordanian football is at its best after qualifying for the 2026 World Cup finals reflects positively on the clubs and players. He said, “We face great match pressure, but we have high-level players, whether starters or substitutes, and we certainly have our own style of play.”