Return of Al-Ittihad's top scorer strikes fear into Al-Ettifaq: what is Youssef En-Nesyri's situation?
An awaited task in the Roshn League
Al-Ittihad have recovered one of their key attacking options ahead of the anticipated clash against Al-Ettifaq. German coach Jens Wissing has decided to bring Nigerian George Ilenikhena back into the squad, a move that hands "Al-Ameed" fresh solutions up front and raises questions about the situation of Morocco's Youssef En-Nesyri, who is himself among the squad travelling to Dammam.
According to "Arriyadiyah", Wissing left the Senegalese and Serbian duo Dion Lopy and Karlo Simic out of the Al-Ittihad delegation that departed for Dammam on Monday afternoon. The trip is in preparation for Tuesday's clash against Al-Ettifaq in the tenth round of the Saudi Roshn League, a match scheduled for nine in the evening.
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Ilenikhena's return follows his absence from Al-Ittihad's squad against Al-Hilal, making the Nigerian striker available again to Wissing, who wants more effective attacking options after losing the Clasico to Al-Hilal 3-2.
His presence hands the German coach a chance to shake up the attack, either by starting him or keeping him back as an influential card during the match.
What remains unclear is whether En-Nesyri will start or sit on the bench, despite his place in the squad travelling to Dammam.
Wissing can lean on the Moroccan striker alone, or push Ilenikhena in his place. Fielding them together also stays on the table if the coach opts for two strikers, depending on the demands of the match and how he reads Al-Ettifaq's defensive weaknesses.
Eight foreign players made Al-Ittihad's squad: Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic, Portugal's Danilo Pereira, Algeria's Houssem Aouar, the Netherlands' Steven Bergwijn, his compatriot Georginio Wijnaldum, Morocco's Youssef En-Nesyri, Nigeria's George Ilenikhena and Colombia's Richard Rios.
Ahmed Al-Ghamdi also returned after recovering from the calf muscle injury that kept him out of the clash against Shabab Al-Ahli of the UAE in the second round of the AFC Champions League Elite.
Al-Ittihad go into the clash desperate to return to winning ways. They lost to Al-Hilal in the Roshn League, then went down 2-1 to Shabab Al-Ahli in the continental tournament, which only ramps up the importance of the Al-Ettifaq match for Wissing and his players.
