The Italian coach of Al-Hilal, Simone Inzaghi, made an important technical and administrative decision before the anticipated match against the Emirati team Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai, as he decided to exclude three of the team’s most prominent stars, namely the team’s captain Salem Al-Dawsari, the solid defender Kalidou Koulibaly, and the striker Marcos Leonardo, from the list that left to compete in the seventh round of the AFC Champions League.

Sources close to Al-Hilal revealed that Inzaghi's decision to exclude Salem Al-Dawsari and Kalidou Koulibaly is part of a rotation policy aimed at resting key players, especially given the team's demanding schedule of consecutive matches both domestically and continentally. The Italian coach aims to maintain the physical fitness of his mainstays and prevent muscle fatigue before the crucial stages of the season. As for the exclusion of Marcos Leonardo, the decision was purely technical, deemed by the coaching staff to be appropriate for the nature of the match and the planned tactics.

Al-Hilal is set to face Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai away at 7:00 PM tomorrow, Monday, in a match where the Blues will seek to reaffirm their continental dominance. This match is part of the seventh round of the group stage of the tournament under its new format, and Al-Hilal enters the game in a very comfortable position in the standings.

Al-Hilal currently sits atop its group with a perfect record of 18 points, four points ahead of its closest rival, Iran's Tractor Sazi, which occupies second place. This significant points advantage has given coach Inzaghi the freedom to make changes to the lineup and give other players the opportunity to prove themselves, reflecting the depth of the Saudi team's squad and its ability to compete with a diverse roster.

On the other hand, Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai enters the match in fifth place with 10 points, making this game crucial for the Emirati team as they seek to improve their position in the standings and secure qualification for the knockout stages. Matches between Saudi and Emirati clubs are always highly competitive and exciting, given their long history of rivalry in Asian championships. Al-Hilal consistently strives to reaffirm its dominance in Asia, while Shabab Al-Ahli aims to capitalize on home advantage and the support of their fans to achieve a positive result against the title favorites.

Inzaghi’s decision reflects the great confidence in Al-Hilal’s bench, as the Al-Hilal system has proven in recent years that it does not depend on one player, but rather works as an integrated group capable of compensating for any absence, which makes Al-Hilal fans reassured despite the absence of names of the magnitude of Salem and Coulibaly from this Asian encounter.

Al-Ahli Saudi FC faces a significant challenge when they travel to Abu Dhabi to take on Al-Wahda in a highly anticipated Gulf derby as part of the seventh round of the AFC Champions League group stage. The match will be held at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, where Al-Ahli will be looking to reaffirm their continental dominance despite the team's current struggles.

Al-Ahli's list of absentees against Al-Wahda

Al Ahli's squad for this crucial match will be missing several key players, potentially impacting the options available to German coach Matthias Jäsle. The absence of Galeno Wenderson from the matchday squad has been confirmed due to a recent injury. He is still undergoing intensive treatment and rehabilitation, which has kept him out of group training and official matches.

Meanwhile, the team's defensive woes continue with the absence of Turkish international defender Merih Demiral for the match against Al Wahda of the UAE. Demiral's absence stems from his incomplete physical and technical readiness, leading the coaching staff to prefer not to risk him in this crucial encounter to ensure his full recovery for upcoming matches.

Yasle's ambitions and morale for a local victory

Al-Ahli enters the match with high morale after securing an important victory in their last league match against Al-Hazm, winning 2-0. Coach Matias Jääsle aims to capitalize on this positive momentum to continue their winning streak, both domestically and continentally, especially since the new format of the AFC Champions League requires accumulating as many points as possible to guarantee a high ranking in the knockout stages.

The importance of the meeting in the continental context

This match holds special significance given the long-standing rivalry between Saudi and Emirati clubs in Asian competitions, where these encounters are always characterized by intense competition and passionate fan support. Al-Ahli hopes to overcome the absence of key players and return with a positive result that strengthens its position in the West Asian group standings and confirms its strong return to the competition for Asian supremacy, relying on its rich history and large fan base, which expects it to go far in this newly established edition of the tournament.

In a nail-biting match that went down to the wire, Parma secured a precious and historic 1-0 victory over Bologna in the 24th round of the Italian Serie A. This win was more than just three points; it broke a long-standing curse for Parma at Bologna's home ground, the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.

Details of the decisive goal and red cards

Parma owes this precious victory to young Argentinian substitute Cristian Ordones (21 years old), who played the hero by scoring the only goal of the match in the dying moments, specifically in the fourth minute of stoppage time (90+4). Ordones had entered the field in the 79th minute, turning the tide of the match and securing the three points for his team.

The match was highly tense and competitive, which was reflected in the refereeing decisions, with both teams finishing the game with ten men. The drama began early when Bologna's Tommaso Pobega received a straight red card in the 22nd minute, forcing the home side to play with a man down for a significant period. In the 79th minute, the teams were evened up in numbers after Parma's Argentinian player Mariano Trujillo received a red card for accumulating two yellow cards, adding to the excitement in the final minutes.

Ending the 2012 curse and sporting revenge

This victory is of paramount importance in the historical context of the encounters between the two teams, as this win is Parma's first at Bologna's home ground in the Italian league since December 2012. With this achievement, Parma has turned the page on a dark chapter that lasted for more than a decade, during which it was unable to return with full points from the home of its neighbor in the Emilia-Romagna region.

Moreover, Parma achieved a double sporting revenge against their rivals this season. Parma had already suffered two defeats against Bologna this season; the first was 1-3 in the first round of the league, and the second was 1-2 in the round of 16 of the cup competition, so this victory served as a strong reprieve.

The repercussions of the result on the Italian league standings

With this result, Parma raised its tally to 26 points, achieving its sixth victory this season, temporarily rising to 14th place, taking an important step away from the danger zones and trying to secure its position in the safe zone of the standings.

Meanwhile, Bologna, the reigning cup champions, continued their struggles, enduring a very difficult period in terms of results. This defeat marks their fourth consecutive loss and their sixth in their last seven matches, reflecting a sharp decline in performance. Bologna's points tally remains at 30, temporarily placing them in tenth position. The team has not tasted victory since December 15th, putting immense pressure on the coaching staff and players to turn things around before it's too late.