Al Ahli, six men down, host an Al Gharafa still looking for a point
Al Ahli have scored fourteen in their last four league matches and beat Al Gharafa 4-0 and 4-2 in this competition over the last two seasons. Demiral, Mendy and Galeno were out on Friday.
Al Ahli, the Champions League Elite holders, are fifth in the Saudi league on twenty-one points with seven wins and three defeats, and have won their last four league matches, the latest 4-1 over Al Khaleej on Friday. In this competition they drew with Pakhtakor and won 3-1 at Al Wasl.
Al Ahli Saudi are expected to win in an open game of three goals or more.
Al Gharafa were tenth in the Qatar league a week ago and have drawn both league matches since; in this competition they have lost both by a single goal, at Al Hilal and at home to Istiqlol. The last two meetings in this competition finished 4-0 and 4-2 to Al Ahli. The centre-back Demiral is out with an ankle injury, Abu Al-Shamat with a shoulder injury and Masoud with an ankle injury, and Hawsawi was also missing on Friday. The first-choice goalkeeper Mendy and the winger Galeno are back in full training but face a fitness check before kick-off. There is no team news for Al Gharafa. The club was reported this month to be weighing a change of coach. That is why an Al Ahli win is expected, but not by the margins they have been scoring. Four of Al Ahli's last five league matches had four goals or more.
