Al-Ittihad are preparing to face Neom in Matchday 29 of the Saudi Professional League, amid positive signs regarding the fitness of one of their key defenders.
The Saudi newspaper "Al-Riyadiah" quoted sources within the club as saying that veteran defender Ahmed Sharahili is now fully fit, having taken part in team training as normal on Monday in preparation for Wednesday’s match.
Sharahili had missed the recent match against Al-Hazm following a tactical decision by Portuguese manager Sérgio Conceição, who preferred not to risk overexertion after his return from the Saudi national team camp.
He also sat out last Sunday’s training session for the same reason, before rejoining his teammates on Monday at the club’s ground.
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The same training session saw the participation of Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri, who featured in the Al-Hazm match but was ruled out of training on Sunday due to minor fatigue.
Al-Ittihad are facing several key absences ahead of the clash with Neom, with Moussa Diaby ruled out after receiving a red card in the previous match and serving a suspension.
Striker Saleh Al-Shehri will also be out through injury, whilst Youssef En-Nesyri’s status remains uncertain as he continues to suffer from muscle fatigue.
The defending champions sit sixth in the league table with 45 points, whilst the coaching staff hope to make the most of all available options to improve their position in the remaining fixtures.