8 foreigners in Al-Ittihad's line-up to face Neftchi Ferghana in the AFC Champions League Elite
He needs to correct his continental course
Al-Ittihad's German coach Jens Wissing has gone all in, naming eight foreign players in his starting line-up to face hosts Neftchi Fergana of Uzbekistan in Monday evening's third-round clash of the AFC Champions League Elite.
In goal, Wissing picked Serbian Predrag Rajković. Portugal's Danilo Pereira and Saad Al-Moussa line up in front of him, with Muhannad Al-Shanqiti and Fares Abdi at full-back. Colombian Richard Ríos, Senegalese Djon Lobi and Algerian Houssem Aouar make up the midfield, while the Dutch pair of Wijnaldum and Steven Bergwijn lead the line alongside Nigerian George Ilenikhena.
Dropped to the bench are Ahmed Al-Ghamdi and Mukhtar Ali, who both started the 2-0 win over Al-Diriyah in the 11th round of the Saudi Roshn League.
Al-Ittihad are chasing their first win in the West group of the continental tournament. They drew 1-1 with Al-Shamal of Qatar, then lost 1-2 at home to Shabab Al-Ahli of the UAE in front of their own fans.
Neftchi sit seventh with three points. They beat Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya of Iraq before going down 1-3 to Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia.
The stakes are doubled for Al-Ittihad. They need to correct their continental course and avoid another slip that could complicate their qualification hopes. A win, meanwhile, would hand Neftchi the chance to boost their tally and climb the standings.
