Sharjah 24: Shabab Al-Ahli and Sharjah are guests of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr and Tractor of Iran in two play-off matches to qualify for the group stage of the AFC Champions League.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, the Al-Ahli and Sharjah teams will play their play-off matches in the AFC Champions League, which qualifies for the group stage, against their hosts, Saudi Al-Nassr, and Iranian Tractor.

The two teams are looking forward to reaching the group stage, with Al Ain, the direct qualifier, being the champion of the previous edition of the ADNOC Professional League.

Shabab Al-Ahli snatched a 3-0 win over the Jordanian Al-Wehdat in the preliminary round of the continental championship at Rashid Stadium in Dubai last Tuesday, and Sharjah beat Bashundhara Kings from Bangladesh with a clean double, at Sharjah Stadium, to qualify together for the play-off round.

The two teams achieved a good start in the ADNOC Professional League competition last week, with Sharjah defeating Ittihad Kalba 4-3, and Shabab Al Ahli snatched 3-0 from Ajman.

The confrontation between Shabab Al-Ahli and the Saudi Al-Nasr is the first officially between the two teams, as they had previously met in a friendly match in 2019, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Sharjah's meeting with Tractor is also the third in the history of their confrontation in the AFC Champions League, as the first meeting ended in a goalless draw, and the second was won by Tractor with two clean goals, both of which were in the group stage of the AFC Champions League in the 2021 edition.

Khaled Al-Kaabi, the administrator of the Shabab Al-Ahli, confirmed that his team will face a great challenge in facing the Saudi Al-Nassr, adding that the confrontation is considered a special summit between the two teams.

Al-Kaabi explained that his team enters the match with the aim of winning only, in order to qualify regardless of any other matters, pointing to the great development that his team has witnessed during the last period, and its victory over Ajman in the league competition, will be a great motivation in Tuesday’s meeting.