The Saudi newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat" has revealed a fresh decision by Al-Ittihad to ease the travel burden on their players, with a fixture pile-up looming and their continental campaign about to kick off.
According to the newspaper, the club's management have decided the squad will not return to Jeddah after the match against Al-Faisaly. Instead, they will travel directly from Riyadh to the Qatari capital, Doha. The move is designed to cut down on travel hours and hand the players as much rest as possible inside a window of no more than 72 hours.
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Al-Ittihad face Al-Faisaly at the latter's stadium in Al-Majma'ah on Friday evening in the Saudi League, before travelling to meet Al-Shamal of Qatar next Monday to open their AFC Champions League Elite campaign.
"Asharq Al-Awsat" clarified that the delegation will leave Jeddah for Riyadh on Thursday, then take a bus to Al-Majma'ah for the match. Once the final whistle blows, they will return to Riyadh and head straight for Doha, skipping Jeddah altogether.
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Both the administrative and technical staff want to spare the players the grind of travel, especially with the team shuttling between three cities, Riyadh, Al-Majma'ah and Doha, in an extremely short spell that could pile on the physical fatigue.
The hope is that this step gets the squad to Doha in the best possible physical shape ahead of their opening match in the new AFC Champions League Elite. They face Al-Shamal of Qatar on Monday, the start of the Dean's journey in the continental competition.
