Al-Ittihad’s push for continental glory has been hit by a jarring twist, with key forward Saleh Al-Shehri facing a race against time to be fit for the business end of the AFC Champions League.
Reports in Saudi Arabia on Monday revealed that the striker has suffered a right calf injury and is expected to be out for between three and six weeks, according to sources close to newspaper “Al-Riyadiah”. For a club staring at a defining month in Asia, the timing could hardly be worse.
Injury Cloud Over Knockout Push
The AFC Champions League will reach its decisive stages in April, with the quarter-finals onwards to be played in Jeddah in a compact, tournament-style format. All ties from that point will be single-leg knockouts, staged between 16 and 25 April.
Before that, Al-Ittihad must first navigate a Round of 16 clash against UAE side Al-Wahda on 14 April at Al-Inmaa Stadium. The reward for the winner is a showdown with Eastern Zone leaders Matsuda Zelvia of Japan in the quarter-finals.
That path now looks more complicated without the assurance of Al-Shehri leading the line.
The medical outlook is mixed. The initial diagnosis rules him out for at least three weeks, possibly as many as six, with the player set to undergo a treatment and rehabilitation programme before he can rejoin full training. That timeframe places his participation in the Jeddah mini-tournament firmly in doubt.
Yet there remains a sliver of optimism. The same sources stress that the exact recovery period hinges on how quickly Al-Shehri responds to treatment, leaving the door slightly ajar for an earlier-than-expected return. For Al-Ittihad, that small window could prove crucial.
A Heavy Blow to Big Ambitions
Al-Ittihad enter this phase of the competition under intense expectation. Their supporters have waited two decades to see the club reclaim the continental crown, and the current squad has been built with that target in mind.
Losing a frontline striker at this moment cuts deep. Al-Shehri offers movement, presence and a focal point that shapes how Al-Ittihad attack, particularly in tight knockout games where one chance can decide a season’s work.
The club must now juggle preparation for Al-Wahda with the uncertainty surrounding one of their key attacking weapons. If the treatment progresses quickly, Al-Shehri could yet reappear under the Jeddah lights. If not, Al-Ittihad’s bid to end a 20-year wait for Asian supremacy will have to be mounted without him.
