King Salman Cup for Arab Clubs 2023 .. 4 matches at the end of the second round of the group stage tomorrow, Monday

Tomorrow, Monday, the second round of the group stage of King Salman Cup for Arab Clubs 2023 will be completed, as 4 matches will be held in the third and fourth groups, in Taif and Abha.

The Emirati team Al-Wahda will face the Algerian team CR Belouizdad at 4 pm, then the Saudi team Al-Shabab will play with the Egyptian team Zamalek at 6 pm in KSA time, while Moroccan team Raja will play with Kuwait from Kuwait at 8 pm, while the Tunisian team US Monastir will face the Saudi team Al-Nassr at 10 pm.

The first round witnessed Raja’s victory over CR Belouizdad 2-1, Zamalek’s victory over US Monastir 4-0, Al-Wahda’s victory over Kuwait 2-1, while Al-Nassr drew with Al-Shabab without goals.

Coaches press conferences

Press conferences were held for the coaches of the third and fourth groups, to talk about the latest preparations for the second round of the group stage.

Marcel Keizer, Al-Shabab team coach, said at the press conference: “I have a good team and we only had one training session together, and I got to know the capabilities of the players quickly, I consider myself a lucky coach because I have great players, I watched many matches with them and analyzed their strengths and weaknesses, and we will do our best in the matches of the second and third rounds”.

He added: “Zamalek played a good match against the Tunisian team US Monastir, and scored 4 wonderful goals. Al-Shabab players also appeared wonderfully in front of a team like Al-Nassr, despite the draw, and in general, Zamalek has distinguished players, especially in terms of attack”.

He concluded: “As for Cuellar, we will learn in the coming hours about his position on participating in the match, and I hope to complete the papers related to his registration to participate with us in the matches”.

Hattan Bahbari said: “We watched Zamalek matches in the past period, and we got technical instructions for that match from the coach. We were not lucky against Al-Nassr, and God willing, we will be successful in Zamalek match and get the 3 points. We are a semi-ready team, and the coach will add a lot to us with his great experience, and we are his tools on the field, and we will delight our fans with victory”.

Zamalek coach Juan Carlos Osorio said: “We will face a big and strong team. It will be a very difficult match against an opponent who has a mixture of experience, youth and high-level players like Ever Banega. Al-Shabab relies on good possession, and we will try on our part to own the ball as much as possible, In addition to keeping our ideas of play, we will never change our style, and we will try as many chances as possible to score”.

He added, “The tournament is a good opportunity for Egyptian clubs to compete with Saudi teams, in light of the quality of their support in terms of deals in the last period. It will be a very difficult match, and we are very proud of what we presented during the first round match, and on a personal level I am happy to be in contact with different schools in the Arab Cup”.

He concluded: “It is true that we will face Al-Shabab and Al-Nassr in their country, but we also have a large fan base here in Saudi Arabia, and in general, winning off the field gives us a huge morale boost”.

For his part, Nabil Imad, Zamalek player, said: “We benefit a lot from the presence of Muhammad Abdel Shafi and Mahmoud Hamdi with us in Saudi Arabia, and everyone saw Sayed Abdullah when he celebrated with them after his two goals against US Monastir, which reflects the great sportsmanship within the team camp”.

For his part, Tariq Al-Jani, coach of the Tunisian team US Monastiri, said: “We suffered a great loss against a strong competitor like Zamalek, but the technical differences were clear. We selected 8 players for the first time in a long time. We prepared more on the mental level before Al-Nassr match, and after the loss from Zamalek, we went through training sessions on Saturday in a wonderful and distinctive atmosphere, and God willing, we will present levels that honor Tunisian football”.

He added: “We suffered from physical exhaustion and muscle injuries, and we made 5 forced substitutions against Zamalek, all of which were factors that contributed to the loss with a big result. We came in order to reach the furthest point. Confronting Cristiano Ronaldo and Anderson Talisca is a unique opportunity for US Monastir players, to get great motivation and provide the best levels”.

He concluded: “We have not lost the opportunity and the hope of qualifying. Hope is always there and we will fight to reach the next stage. We play in a very difficult group with Zamalek, who continues to play official matches even a few days before the start of the tournament. Al-Nassr and Al-Shabab also held two external camps and played many friendly matches. Unlike US Monastir, which suffered greatly from lack of readiness”.

Yassin Al-Sheikh, the player of US Monastir, said: “The preparations differed after losing the first match. We suffered from a lack of harmony between the players, and things have developed greatly recently and we have become in a better state of mind. Zamalek is not less than Al-Nassr, as the team includes international stars, and we must benefit well from every match”.

Pitso Mosimane, Al-Wahda coach, stressed the difficulty of facing the Algerian team CR Belouizdad, pointing out that his team suffers from incomplete readiness in addition to some injuries, noting that: “CR Belouizdad will play with all strength to compensate for the loss in the first round against Moroccan team Raja, hoping to achieve a positive result”.

For his part, Abdullah Al-Karbi, Al-Wahda player, explained that they are primarily working to address previous mistakes, and focus on organizing defense to a greater degree, as well as exploiting opportunities and closing spaces, stressing that they will do their best to achieve victory.

Boris Buniak, the coach of Kuwit, explained that they presented outstanding levels in the first round of the group stage, despite the loss from Al-Wahda, adding about Moroccan Raja: “We will face a strong competitor, which has great potential. We will play with full force and I am fully confident in the capabilities of my team’s players”.

Sami Al-Sanea, the player of Kuwait, stressed that the chances of all the group teams to qualify for the quarter-finals still exist, pledging to do everything they have in order to achieve victory and get the 3 points.

Moroccan team Raja coach Joseph Zinbauer said that his team will enter its next match against Kuwait, in search of victory and early qualification for the quarter-finals, adding: “We continue our preparations well for the next match. Victory is always what everyone is looking for, we are working to achieve that and continue victories”.

He added: “We have a good group of players, we think about each match very seriously, and we analyze match after match continuously, to identify strengths and weaknesses and address errors”.

While Mahmoud Bentayek, the Moroccan team Raja player, spoke about their desire to ensure qualification after the distinguished level during the first round match, stressing their endeavor to get out of the complex cycle of calculations at the end of the group stage, adding: “In every training session we try to implement the coach’s method and reach tactical and technical harmony”.

Saudi team Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro said: “The championship represents a great value for Al-Nassr team. All matches are equally important. We play every match with full focus and one goal, which is to achieve victory”.

He added: “Brozovic has made a great effort in the recent matches, and he feels a state of stress, and we have not decided the issue of his participation in US Monastir match yet. The most ready for the Tunisian team”.

He continued: “The results of the first round and the victory of Zamalek are all things that did not change anything from our plans. The result of Zamalek and US Monastir was not normal, of course. They achieved a big and deserved victory, and we are now focusing on each match separately”.

Alex Telles, Al Nassr player, said, “We did not achieve a positive result in the first match, and we will do our best to win the second round and get back on the right path. I am not afraid of anything in football. We are a complete group and fully prepared for all challenges”.

Algerian team CR Belouizdad coach Sven Vandenbroek said that his team has not reached the required harmony yet, adding: “I will continue the changes in the next match in order to stand on the readiness of all players, because my goal is to reach the level that I want to be at in the upcoming competitions. We performed well against Raja in the first half, before we retreat after that significantly. In general, we will enter the next match with the goal of winning and nothing else”.

Alexis Guendouz, CR Belouizdad player, said: “We have no alternative but to win, in order to continue the journey and qualify for the final rounds of the tournament. We will work to correct the mistakes of the last match, which we lost due to some minor details”.