Al Wasl dreams of an “exceptional” fourth Asian appearance

Al Wasl team delegation will head to Uzbekistan tomorrow, in preparation for the match against Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan next Tuesday in the AFC Champions League for elite clubs.

The “Emperor” will conclude its preparations for the match tonight, as the technical staff, led by Serbian Milos Milojevic, puts the final touches on the playing style and the lineup with which it will play the first match in the tournament, after deciding to suffice with a light training session that it will perform on the day of its arrival in Pakhtakor, 24 hours before the match.

Al Wasl returns to the continental championships for the fourth time in its history, six years after its last participation in the 2018 edition, in which its performance was not up to expectations, as it left empty-handed without any points after suffering six defeats in its group, which included, in addition to it, the Uzbek Nasaf, Iranian Persepolis, and Qatari Al Sadd clubs.

Before that, Al Wasl participated in the continental championship in 2008, but was eliminated from the group stage, finishing third behind Saipa of Iran and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya of Iraq, while Kuwait SC finished fourth, collecting seven points from two wins and one draw. Al Wasl’s best participation was in the 1993 edition, finishing third in the tournament in its old format, as the “Emperor” was the only team to beat the continental champion at the time, PAS of Iran, with a goal without a response. It also achieved one of the biggest victories in the history of the tournament over Waheeb of Pakistan 10-1, to top its group and qualify for the semi-finals, but lost on penalties to Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia 3-4, after the match ended in a 2-2 draw. In the match to determine third and fourth place, Al Wasl defeated Yomiuri of Japan 4-3. The draw gave Al Wasl strong matches away from home against Pakhtakor, Al Gharafa of Qatar, Al Shorta of Iraq and Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia, while Al Ahli and Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia and Al Sadd and Al Rayyan of Qatar will meet at home.

For its part, the official website of the Asian Football Confederation highlighted Al Wasl’s participation in the elite competitions, praising the capabilities of Serbian coach Milos Milojevic, who has a strong personality and great technical capabilities that he seeks to employ for the benefit of the team in its upcoming continental journey, in addition to the fact that he has many prominent names in the squad that he will rely on, including Fabio De Lima, who presented great levels last season, along with his teammates Ali Saleh, Nicolas Jimenez and goalkeeper Khalid Al Sinani.

Al Wasl matches schedule in the continental championship

Pakhtakor Uzbekistan: September 17, 2024.

Al-Ahly Saudi: September 30, 2024.

Al Gharafa Qatar: October 22, 2024.

Qatar Dam: November 4, 2024.

Iraqi Police: November 26, 2024.

Al Rayyan Qatar: December 2, 2024.

Saudi victory: February 3, 2025.

Saudi Crescent: February 18, 2025.