Al-Shabab look forward to a positive result when they face Nasaf of Uzbekistan today Sunday at Al-Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah as part of the 2022 AFC Champions League Round of 16. Al-Shabab is regarded as one of the most successful teams participating in the 2022 AFC Champions League, thanks to the outstanding levels presented in the group stage, during which he was able to lead the second group in the competition, which took place last April in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
After reaching the AFC Champions League final in 1993 and losing the title to Iran’s Pas Hamdan, young fans’ dreams of achieving continental achievement were put on hold until further notice.
Al-Shabaab qualified for this stage of the continental championship after deservedly leading the second group, scoring 16 points from 5 wins and one draw, scoring 18 goals and conceding one goal.
The youth group included Mumbai City as the runner-up with 7 points, in line with the balance of the Iraqi Air Force, while Emirates Al Jazeera finished fourth and last with 4 points.
Al Shabab is one of the clubs that will play a significant role in the tournament due to the presence of influential technical elements, including Carlos Junior who scored 5 goals, along with Banega, Junior, Bahbari, John Marie, Paulinho, South Korean international goalkeeper Kim Son Gyu and other stars.
On the other hand, the Nasaf team is participating in the competition for the eighth time in its history, is considered one of the Uzbek clubs actively present in the tournament, and tasted continental glory when it was crowned by the AFC. Cup 2011.
This year, the team managed to reach the 1/8 finals, finishing second in Group E, losing to Al Faisali from Saudi Arabia and ahead of Al Sadd from Qatar and Al Wehdat from Jordan.
Nasaf scored 9 points from two wins, 3 draws and one loss, scoring 8 goals and conceding 5 times, and secured their place in the Round of 16 as one of the top runners-up clubs in five groups.
The Al-Shabab club is approaching the match with high spirits, as it is in the top part of the Saudi League standings with the leaders of Al-Nasr in terms of goal difference, and Nasaf has not yet started a new local season, and therefore is absent from the competitive matches for a while.
Nasaf performed well in the tournament and had many names in its ranks, including Marko Stanojević, who is the team’s top scorer with 3 goals, as well as Khusein Nurchaev and Akmal Mozgovoy, both of whom scored two goals.
