Al-Ittihad’s Injury Blow: Four Key Players Out Ahead of Gulf Clash

Injury-hit Ittihad eyes Gulf clash

Al-Ittihad will be without four first-team players for the upcoming match against Al-Khaleej in the Saudi Pro League’s seventh round. The medical staff are sprinting to get the quartet ready, but the current fitness doubts loom large over the Western Club’s plans.

The players ruled out are Hassan Kadsh, Ahmed Shrahiili, Maaad Faqihi, and Abdulrahman Al-Aboud, all described as not yet fully fit. The medical team is racing the clock to have them available for future rounds as the team charts a path back up the table.

In its latest update, the club’s report highlighted the finesse required to rehabilitate these injuries while maintaining enough quality to challenge opponents who stare back with equal resolve.

Kadsh and Shrahiili are dealing with groin or thigh muscle issues, Faqihi with a strong ankle bruise, and Al-Aboud with a facial injury sustained in national team duties. The squad is otherwise navigating the season with a mix of promising youth and veteran leadership, but depth is being tested at a pivotal stage.

Scheduling, tickets, and cup ambitions

The team remains seventh in the league with 10 points from three wins, two losses, and a draw. Amid the injury concerns, the club has also filed an urgent request to shift the kickoff time for the upcoming league game against Al-Riyadh from 04:45 PM to an evening slot, citing logistical and local time considerations in the city of Jeddah.

Ticket updates were announced for the Derby against Al-Ahli, with initial sales limited to fans who hold tickets from the upcoming Champions League clash with Sharjah in early November. The match against Al-Ahli is set for Saturday, November 8, as part of the league’s Week 8 schedule.

On the cup front, Al-Ittihad has been rewarded for its recent cup form with a potential 60% share of a prize if victorious in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup. Last season’s triumph adds pressure to defend the crown, and the club’s president indicated the prize distribution would align with the club’s rules, irrespective of the outcome.

The King’s Cup progress continues as the club eyes a quarterfinal meeting with Al-Shabab after beating Al-Zulfi in the previous round. The series between Al-Ittihad and Al-Shabab has a long history in the quarterfinals dating back to the competition’s early years, with memorable clashes in 1981, 1986, and more recently in 2018 when the league’s giants split results before Ittihad advanced on penalties in one edition.

Looking ahead, the team will continue its King’s Cup journey late November, with the quarterfinals pitting it against Al-Shabab, a encounter that promises a tactical duel given the clubs’ cup pedigrees and recent forms.

As the medical staff continues to monitor recovery timelines and the league committee weighs scheduling logistics, the focus remains on restoring full fitness and building momentum for a busy run of fixtures. The bench will be tested, but the squad’s ambition remains intact.

Punchline time: If depth charts were maps, Ittihad’s would need a compass and a coffee IV—because you don’t chase titles on an empty bench. And if all else fails, just pretend the four missing players are “rests a la mode.”