Jaissle’s Foreigners Take Center Stage as Ahli Jeddah Set for King’s Cup Showdown

Ahli’s Foreigners

German coach Matthias Jaissle of Ahli Jeddah has finalized the foreign players he intends to call upon for the forthcoming King’s Cup quarterfinal against Al Qadsiah. The team will host the clash at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, where the atmosphere is set for a decisive showdown in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup.

The match follows last week’s meeting between the sides at Al-Inma Stadium in the Roshen Saudi Pro League, adding extra spice to the cup tie as both teams chase silverware this season.

According to Saudi press, Jaissle has opted to leave Belgian left-back Matthieu Dams out of the squad, while the rest of the foreign contingent is included in the plans for the game. Rules in Saudi football cap foreign players for certain competitions, with the King’s Cup allowing up to 10 foreigners, and the league restricting the number to eight.

In the context of the squad, Ahli’s foreign roster for the match will reportedly include the Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, Brazilian defender Roger Ibanez, and Merih Demiral in the back line; midfielders Frank Kessi, Valentin Atangana, and Enzo Milot; and forwards Riyad Mahrez, Matheus Gonçalves, Galeno, and Ivan Toni, forming a potent attacking group alongside the core local players.

The Dams Dilemma

Excluding Matthieu Dams is not unusual for Jaissle, who has a habit of rotating foreign players to balance familiarity with form. With 11 foreign players under Ahli’s belt, the coach chose to rotate the unit, keeping ten foreigners available for the match and excluding one in line with the Cup’s constraints.

In detail, Ahli will include the foreign quartet in defense and midfield as listed above, with a front line anchored by Mahrez, Gonçalves, Galeno, and Toni, giving Jaissle multiple offensive options while staying compliant with the competition rules.

Historically, Dams has shown that his involvement has been inconsistent. Across this season’s Saudi competitions, he has featured in a limited number of matches, sometimes acting as a squad option rather than a regular starter. The decision to omit him from the cup match aligns with a broader strategy of squad management and rotation that Jaissle has employed since taking the reins at Ahli.

Mistakes, Pressure, and the Crying Moment

Since arriving at Ahli in the winter window, Dams has endured a streak of costly errors that have tested the team’s stability. The first came just 48 seconds into his debut against Al Sadd, a moment that exposed his lack of familiarity with the team’s defensive rhythm and left space for attacking plays to unfold early in the match.

Weeks later, in a separate AFC Champions League tie, a second early misstep contributed to an opposing goal after a handball in the box led to a penalty decision following a VAR review. The incident underscored the vulnerability that can accompany rotations in a competition with high technical demands.

May brought another setback when Dams inadvertently scored an own goal, a rare miscue that lingered in fans’ memories and added to the pressure on him and the coaching staff. Yet perhaps the defining moment came in September when a substitute appearance sparked tears on the bench, a display that captured the emotional toll of professional football at the highest level.

These moments have fed a broader narrative about Dams’ tenure at Ahli, one that juxtaposes flashes of potential with a pattern of mistakes. Jaissle’s approach to managing foreign talent—balancing quality, form, and match-specific roles—remains the central topic as the club pursues trophies this season, especially in the King’s Cup showdown against Al Qadsiah.

Despite the setbacks, the current squad’s composition signals ambition. The blend of top-tier internationals and local stalwarts gives Ahli a dynamic edge going into a quarterfinal that could reshape the season’s trajectory. The crowd in Jeddah will be hoping for a performance that aligns with the talent on paper, a reminder that football is as unpredictable as a plot twist in a soap opera—only with more running and fewer commercials.

Punchline 1: If football had a dating app, Ahli’s lineup would be swiping right on every foreign profile and hoping for a match that ends with a trophy, not a text back at 3 a.m. Punchline 2: And if Dams ever doubts his own legend, he can always tell the story of that moment when 48 seconds changed a season—talk about making an impression faster than a goalkeeper can blink.