Goalkeeper Majed Nasser is confident of Shabab Al Ahli’s chances following their 0-0 draw with Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan in Group B of the 2020 AFC Champions League on Sunday.
The draw at the Al Janoub Stadium kept alive Shabab Al Ahli’s knockout stage hopes, with the side having to defeat defending champions Al Hilal SFC and needing Iran’s Shahr Khodro to deny Pakhtakor a win in tomorrow’s final round of Group B matches.
Nasser believes a win against Al Hilal is possible, as Shabab Al Ahli’s form is gradually improving after not having played competitively for six months.
“I want to thank the players for their super performance today - from defence to attack,” said the 36-year-old goalkeeper. “We tried our best and we are happy with the point that we got.”
“Everyone knows that we have lacked competitive football and the AFC Champions League consists the elite clubs of the continent,” he said. “We are improving in terms of our rhythm but we are still not at our normal level.”
Nasser said Shabab Al Ahli are expecting a tough final matchday against Al Hilal, even though the Saudi Pro League champions have been badly hit with players testing positive for Covid-19.
“The next match will be very important for us and for Al Hilal as well,” said Nasser. “It will be a difficult match because our opponents are the defending champions.
“It is true that Al Hilal are going through a difficult period but they are still holding on because Al Hilal are a great club. We will give our best against them and try to perform better than we did tonight.
Shabab Al Ahli goalkeeper Majed Nasser in action during the AFC Champions League match against Pakhtakor on Sunday. (AFC)
