Mahdi Ali urges Shabab Al Ahli to begin Asian Champions League with 'important' win

Shabab Al Ahli manager Mahdi Ali has urged his players to begin their Asian Champions League campaign with a win when they face Ahal FC of Turkmenistan on Thursday, but admitted facing opponents they know little about presents a unique set of challenges.

The Dubai club have been drawn in Group C and will, along with the rest of the tournament's clubs from the west, play all their matches in Saudi Arabia.

First up for Shabab Al Ahli is tournament debutants Ahal at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, and Mahdi Ali is eager for his team to put their recent domestic slump behind them and return to winning ways in the Champions League.

“The match is important because you want to win your first game,” the Emirati manager said. “It will be difficult when we are playing against a team who we have very little information on, so I hope it will not affect us on the pitch. It is important to prepare the team well and urge our players to adapt to the situation.”

Shabab Al Ahli arrive in the competition on the back of three defeats in the Adnoc Pro League but Mahdi Ali believes the the centralised format in the group stage might well be what his team needs to turn a corner.

“This format is better than the home and away considering our circumstances,” he said. “It gives the team an opportunity to focus only on one tournament and not multiple tournaments. This might prove to work in our favour.”

Shabab Al Ahli goalkeeper Majed Naser echoed his manager's sentiments and called on his teammates to get their campaign started on the right foot.

“We need this important three points but we must respect the team,” Naser said. “We must play our best and do not underestimate them, especially in the AFC Champions League where every team has