Ahli and Al-Ittihad resume their challenge in the AFC Champions League Wednesday. Al-Ittihad, which leads Group A with maximum points after 1-0 wins against Uzbekistan's Kuruvchi and Al-Ittihad Aleppo in its first two games, faces an uphill task against Sepahan of Iran in Tehran. Al-Ahli with just one point in Group C hosts Al-Wehda of the UAE at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah. Al-Ittihad, which is well set to clinch the Saudi Premier League, hopes to extend its lead in Group A to earn a ticket to the quarterfinals. Al-Ittihad, which left for Tehran on Sunday, will miss ace midfielder Saud Kariri who was suspended after receiving two yellow cards. Brazilian striker Magno Alves, scorer of both the goals, also failed to join the squad and stayed in Jeddah due to a leg injury. Al-Ahli's new coach Yousif Anbr insisted that the Jeddah side will enter the remaining rounds of the AFC Champions League with a new formation that could change the players performance totally. The Saudi coach Anbr, who replaced Serbian coach Nebojsa Vukovic, admitted that the task will not be easy for his side. “It will be a hard test for the players in their first match after Nebojsa and I have struggled to make the squad familiar with the new tactics,” Anbr said. He added that the team is in a crucial situation that must be solved to secure the passage to the second round. “Al-Wehda is a strong team which edged the Saudi side Al-Hilal in the quarterfinals in 2007,” he added. Anbr admitted the match will be crucial for Al-Ahli and Al-Wehda which stay third and fourth respectively with one point each. Al-Ahli striker Malek Al-Hawsawi failed to show up for the last training session for medical reasons. However, Anbr said that Al-Hawsawi will be available for the game and he has no injury concerns. Defenders of Al-Ahli disclosed that they were assigned with special tasks against Al-Wehda's strong strikers. Meanwhile, Brazilian Midfielder Antonio Caio is cleared by the medical team and he will join the squad. Elsewhere, South Korean cup holder Chunnam Dragons, 2007 Asian runner-up Sepahan of Iran and the UAE champion Al-Wasl find themselves in a must-win situation. The margin for error is tight as only the winners of the seven groups progress to the quarterfinals, where they will be joined by defending champion Urawa Reds of Japan. __
