In the start of the quarter-finals of King Salman Cup for Arab Clubs 2023..The Qatari team Al-Sadd faces the Iraqi team Al-Shorta.. while the Saudi teams Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal meet tomorrow evening

Tomorrow, Saturday, the quarter-finals of King Salman Cup for Arab Clubs 2023 will start with two matches, the first between the Qatari team Al-Sadd and the Iraqi team Al-Shorta, and the second between the Saudi teams Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal.

At Prince Sultan Sports City Stadium in Abha, Al-Sadd, the leader of the second group, will face Al-Shorta, the runner-up of the first group, at 6 pm, in KSA time.

During the group stage, Al-Sadd collected 7 points from two wins and one draw, to lead the second group, and face Al-Shorta, the runner-up of the first group, with 4 points collected from a win, a draw and a loss.

At King Fahd Sports City stadium in Taif, Al-Ittihad will face Al-Hilal, at 9 pm in KSA time.

Al-Ittihad was at the top of the first group table with 9 points from 3 victories, to face Al-Hilal, the runner-up of the second group, with 4 points from a win, a draw and a loss.

It is scheduled that the quarter-finals will end with two matches next Sunday, as the Moroccan team Raja will face the Saudi team Al-Nassr, while the Saudi team Al-Shabab will play with the Emirati team Al-Wahda.

Coaches press conferences

Today, Friday, press conferences were held for the coaches of Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, Al-Sadd and Al-Shorta, to talk about the latest preparations for the quarter-finals.

Al-Hilal coach Jorge Jesus said: “We are happy to reach this stage of the tournament. We are still in the process of preparation and we will give our best in order to reach the farthest possible point. We have great ambitions and know the capabilities of the strong team, Al-Ittihad , and they have the advantage of continuing with the same coach from last season. It will be a very tough match”.

He added: “I cannot decide on Malcolm’s participation yet. At this stage, we may encounter difficulties and discover some problems in some lines within the team, which is a good opportunity to discover the negatives early. We are in the process of building ideas and plans with the players, and things will become better with the start of the new season, especially at the level of the defensive line, and even in the offensive aspects, there are crises that we suffer from and we will try to overcome them”.

Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Coulibaly said: “Al-Ittihad is a great team and has very qualified players. It won the Saudi League last season, and the match will not be easy. Happy with the crowd atmosphere in the tournament, we came back strong again after a difficult start in the group stage.”

He concluded: “The Arab Cup is strong and witnesses the participation of large clubs, and the atmosphere is wonderful at the level of organization and fans. As a player who recently joined the team, I benefited a lot from this competition, which witnesses great quality at all levels, and it will be a great start for this team in the new season.”

For his part, Al-Ittihad coach Nuno Santo said: “We will play against a wonderful opponent. The tournament is getting stronger with each stage. We are preparing well, and we will finally go through this evening, to give the players all the information about Al Hilal and its players. The match will be enthusiastic and popular for Al-Ittihad supporters, and I thank them for their continuous support”.

He continued: “We have not decided Kante’s participation in the match yet. It is normal for the team to suffer from fatigue and injuries after returning to the matches. Our goal is always to obtain the highest performance from all players in the fastest way possible. No one can predict the result. We just have to prepare well and fight, and play the match with enthusiasm and give our best.”

Al-Ittihad player Igor Coronado said: “We will face a big team without a doubt, but our team is also in good condition and in continuous development, on the technical level; the two teams have very impressive elements, there will be no advantage for one team over another technically, the match will witness many decisive factors, and as the coach mentioned, the most important thing is the preparation mechanism for the match. The two teams have signed new elements, and mental preparation and mental strength are the most important factor in deciding the match”.

On the other hand, Ahmed Salah, Al-Shorta coach, stressed his team’s readiness to compete in Al-Sadd match, praising the performance of his players during the group stage and qualifying between strong and difficult teams, adding: “We will continue to work on the same approach, and we will face a strong team that includes a large number of international players.”

For his part, Mahmoud Al-Mawas, Al-Shorta player, said that he is now ready to participate in the match, thanking the medical staff of his team, and stressing: “I am now ready to play the full 90 minutes. I also thank the Iraqi fans for supporting the players in this tournament, and our goal is always to represent Iraq in an honorable manner”.

Bruno Miguel, the coach of Al-Sadd, confirmed his team’s readiness to face Al-Shorta, pointing out that the latter is characterized by a strong defensive organization, indicating that the match will be a match between the two teams.

He added: “I have a team of 20 players and more, all of them are of the same level and specifications, and whoever participates will play his role to the fullest. We rely entirely on a group, not individuals.”

Tariq Salman, Al-Sadd player, stressed his great respect for Al-Shorta, indicating that they have great ambition in all local and foreign participations, adding: “All our focus now is to achieve victory and pass to the semi-finals. Our team will become stronger during the coming period thanks to the new reinforcements”.