Injuries have brought Al-Ahli Jeddah’s defences crashing down, after the team suffered a fourth setback in their match against Damac in the Saudi Roshen League.
Al-Ahli hosted Damac on Saturday at Al-Inmaa Stadium in Jeddah, in the 27th round of the Saudi Roshen League.
In the 53rd minute of the match, Al-Ahli’s Brazilian defender Roger Ibanez was forced to leave the pitch due to injury, with Mohammed Suleiman Bakr coming on in his place.
Ibanez, who had just returned from international duty with Brazil during the recent international break last March, tried to continue the match but was unable to do so and was substituted.
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Al-Ahli have thus lost all their key defenders to injury ahead of a crucial phase of the season, in which the team will contest the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League.
Full-backs Ali Majrashi and Zakaria Hawsawi picked up injuries whilst on international duty during the last international break, whilst Turkish defender Merih Demiral has been sidelined by injury since before that period.
Al-Ahli Jeddah’s German manager, Matthias Jaissle, is relying on four non-regulars in defence to make up for the absentees: Mohammed Abdulrahman and Mateo Dams on the flanks, with Ryan Hamed and Mohammed Suleiman Bakr in between.
It is worth noting that Al-Ahli will travel to face Al-Fayha next Wednesday in the 29th round of the Roshen League, before kicking off their AFC Champions League campaign when they face Qatar’s Al-Duhail on 13 April in the round of 16.