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.
Leonardo Jardim’s Al Gharafa will be equally driven to book their spot in the group stage, having opened their Qatar Stars League 2024/25 season with a 0-0 draw against Al Khor over the weekend.
Al Gharafa finished third in the 2023/24 Qatar Stars League and have boosted their roster with several notable acquisitions, including talismanic forward Yohan Boli from Qatar SC and well travelled Spanish veteran Joselu, who scored two late and decisive goals against Bayern Munich to seal Real Madrid’s place in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League final.
The draw for the AFC Champions League Elite group stage will be conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday. The losers of this tie, meanwhile, will enter the AFC Champions League Two™ 2024/25 group stage.
