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Al-Ittihad will host Shabab Al-Ahli at the Alinma Stadium on Tuesday in the second round of their 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite campaign. The home side have had mixed results this season, most recently suffering a 2-0 home defeat to Al-Nassr in the league, and will hope they can find better luck on the continental stage this week.
They suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Al-Wahda in their tournament opener a fortnight ago, taking the lead midway through the first half via a Steven Bergwijn strike before a red card to Muhannad Shanqeeti later in the half saw their opponents grow in confidence and ultimately come from behind to snatch all three points.
Shabab Al-Ahli also suffered a home defeat in their most recent outing as they were beaten 1-0 by Al-Ain in the fifth round of the UAE Pro League. They, however, managed to pick up a point in their Champions League opener earlier in the month as they played out a 1-1 draw with 10-man Iranian side Tractor FC, finding themselves a goal down at the break before Guilherme Bala levelled the scores midway through the second half.
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Al-Ittihad vs Shabab Al-Ahli Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Tuesday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between Al-Ittihad and Shabab Al-Ahli.
- The visitors' last meeting against Saudi Arabian opposition came back in August 2023 when they faced Al-Nassr in the AFC Champions League Elite qualifiers, losing the playoff-round clash 4-2.
- The hosts' last meeting against Emirati opponents came back in May 2019 when they faced Al-Wahda in the Champions League, with their group-stage clash ending 1-1.
- Al-Ittihad are two-time winners of the Champions League Elite, winning the title in 2004 and 2005. Al-Ahli have never won the competition, although they finished runners-up in 2015.
Al-Ittihad vs Shabab Al-Ahli Prediction
The Chief's latest result ended a run of back-to-back victories, and they will be looking to bounce back here. They have lost just once on home turf all year and will fancy their chances ahead of Tuesday's game.
Similarly, the Red Knights saw their latest result end a five-game unbeaten run across all competitions. They are underdogs heading into the midweek clash and could lose this one.
Prediction: Al-Ittihad 1-0 Shabab Al-Ahli
Al-Ittihad vs Shabab Al-Ahli Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Al-Ittihad to win
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Under 2.5 goals (Each of the visitors' last six matches have all produced fewer than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No (Both sides have found the back of the net in just one of the visitors' last six matches)
