Al-Ahli are preparing to host Al-Nassr at the Al-Inma Stadium on 20 November, in the postponed fixture from the ninth round of the Saudi Pro League.
Six players sit on Al-Ahli's injury list. Turkish defender Merih Demiral heads it, alongside Zakaria Hawsawi, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat, Nayef Masoud, Armenian Edward Spertsyan and Frenchman Valentin Atangana. That leaves the coaching staff with a real headache over the right line-up, with some of those players potentially still sidelined when Al-Nassr come to town.
According to the newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat", those absences pile the pressure on Pusic. Al-Ahli badly need to restore some balance after a run of results that angered their supporters, and with the big game looming, questions are being asked inside the club about the coaching staff's future and their ability to turn things around.
What makes it harder is that the injuries have not hit one position but spread across more than one line of the team. Pusic may have to rethink his tactical plans and how he picks his first eleven, especially when facing Al-Nassr demands the fullest possible physical and technical readiness to match the opponent.
Medical reports over the coming days will settle the injured players' situation, and the coaching staff are waiting on them to see who can return to group training before the match. The medical team are pushing to speed up recoveries and ready as many players as possible, without rushing anyone back before he is fully fit.
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The break also hands Pusic a valuable chance alongside managing the injury crisis. He can iron out the errors from recent matches, build greater harmony among the players and line up suitable alternatives in case some of the injured fail to make the Clasico.
Supporters are waiting anxiously to learn just how many players Al-Ahli will be without against Al-Nassr. The match matters enormously to the team's ambitions this season, and the players are desperate to win back the fans' confidence with a positive result.
The coming days will shape Al-Ahli's look before the Clasico. Can the medical staff get some influential players back and hand Pusic extra options, or will the coach head into the clash with a makeshift line-up amid the ongoing injury crisis?
Al-Ahli sit sixth in the Saudi league standings with 21 points, while Al-Nassr occupy third place with 28 points.