Qatar’s Al Gharafa face UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli today
Al Khor: United Arab Emirates’s Shabab Al Ahli will take to the pitch full of confidence when they meet Qatar’s Al Gharafa in an AFC Champions League Elite 2024/25 Preliminary Stage 2 tie at the Al Bayt Stadium on Tuesday.
Shabab Al Ahli booked their spot after coming from behind to overwhelm Islamic Republic of Iran’s Sepahan 4-1 in their Preliminary Stage 1 encounter and will have a spring in their step for the showdown against Al Gharafa.
The sides crossed paths twice in the AFC Champions League, having settled for a 1-1 stalemate in 2015 with Shabab Al Ahli walking away with a huge 8-2 win in the 2019 edition.
Head coach Paulo Sousa will be banking on the same formula that saw the UAE Pro League club triumph in Isfahan last Tuesday, with the new combination of Sardar Azmoun and Federico Cartabia expected to play more prominent roles after coming off the bench to spark the win.
Serbian Bogdan Planic and Brazilian Breno Cascardo will again be tasked with central defensive duties, while Sousa might be tempted to start Argentinian midfielder Gaston Alvarez, who made a cameo appearance against Sepahan.
