Injuries have ripped through Al-Ittihad's ranks ahead of an eagerly awaited clash with the UAE's Al-Jazira in the AFC Champions League Elite.
The Saudi side face Al-Jazira next Tuesday at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, in the preliminary round of qualifying for the league stage of the Asian Elite championship.
Saudi newspaper "Arriyadiyah" report that Al-Ittihad will be without four players, chief among them Saudi defender Ahmed Sharahili and Malian midfielder Mamadou Doumbia. Both are working through rehabilitation programmes to recover from injury.
Two more absences also emerged. German head coach Jens Wissing has left out defender Saad Al-Mousa and forward Talal Haji, ruling both out through a lack of readiness.
The rest of the squad will be fit and available when the German names his side 48 hours before kick-off.
Wissing can call upon 13 foreign players, a number that may rise to 14 once the signing of Senegalese midfielder Dion Lopy from Spain's Almeria goes through.
Al-Ittihad want a fast start to the season. Clearing the Al-Jazira hurdle would guarantee a place in the next edition of the Asian championship, and they are chasing a title that has eluded them for 21 years.
Preparation for the new campaign came at a training camp in Spain, where Al-Ittihad played four friendlies. They won two, beating South Africa's Orlando Pirates 3-2 and Las Palmas 2-1, before losing 4-2 to Real Mallorca and drawing 2-2 with Malaga.