Al-Ittihad’s push for Asian glory has hit a worrying snag at the worst possible moment, 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 sidelined for between three and six weeks, casting serious doubt over his involvement in the knockout stages.
Injury Cloud Over a Crucial Month
The timing could hardly be more brutal. Al-Ittihad host Al-Wahda of the UAE on 14 April at Al-Inmaa Stadium in a Round of 16 clash that will define their season. Win that, and the Saudi side move into a high-stakes mini-tournament on home soil.
The final stages of the AFC Champions League are set for Jeddah, with the quarter-finals onwards played in a group-style, single-leg knockout format between 16 and 25 April. Every game, a straight shootout. Every mistake, potentially fatal.
And now, possibly, without their striker.
Sources close to Saudi daily “Al-Riyadiah” confirmed that Al-Shehri’s calf problem requires a full treatment and rehabilitation program before he can rejoin full training. The medical team will monitor how he responds in the coming days, with the recovery window still fluid and heavily dependent on his progress.
That uncertainty leaves a narrow crack of hope. If Al-Shehri reacts well, a return before the upper end of the six-week estimate cannot be ruled out. But for a player who relies on sharp movement and explosive bursts in the box, any calf issue carries risk.
Title Dream Under Threat
For Al-Ittihad, the potential loss is more than just a missing name on the teamsheet. They are chasing a title that has haunted them for two decades, a continental crown that has slipped from their grasp year after year. Hosting the decisive stages in Jeddah only heightens the sense that this is a rare opportunity they cannot afford to waste.
Standing in the path of that dream, Matsuda Zelvia of Japan – leaders of the Eastern Zone league – await in the quarter-finals, ready to face the winner of Al-Ittihad vs Al-Wahda. It is exactly the kind of tie where a clinical forward can tilt the balance.
Al-Ittihad’s supporters have longed for a side capable of owning the biggest stage in Asia again. Now, as the tournament converges on their city and the pressure rises, they may have to do it without one of their key attacking weapons.
The question hanging over Jeddah is simple and stark: can Al-Ittihad finally end a 20-year wait for continental glory if Saleh Al-Shehri is watching from the stands instead of leading the line?
