Al Ittihad's Asian campaign is in serious difficulty. A 2-1 home defeat to Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai in the AFC Champions League Elite, as reported by Goal, leaves the club sitting 11th in the West group standings with just one point from two matches. The result, coming on their own turf at Estadio Al-Inma in Jeddah, has piled pressure on German coach Jens Scheuer and raised sharp questions about the team's direction.

The mood around the club is one of frustration. Broadcaster Abdullah Fallata publicly criticised Scheuer after the defeat, according to Goal, pointing to the team's poor form in Asia and calling for improvements, while drawing comparisons to how other clubs are managed. That kind of public pressure from within the Saudi media landscape signals how seriously fans are taking this slump.

The defeat also arrived in the context of a difficult recent run domestically. A controversial 3-2 loss to Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League Clasico, covered by Goal, had already stirred tension, with Ittihad players confronting referee Khaled Al-Turayes after the final whistle. In the league, the club sits fourth with 17 points from eight games, per the structured sports data, which offers some stability but no comfort given the continental struggles.

Next up is a Saudi Pro League trip to face Al-Ettifaq on October 20, a fixture the club will want to use to rebuild confidence before their Asian campaign deteriorates further.