Reus injury opens the door for Al-Ittihad player to feature against Al Ain
Al-Ittihad coach Jens Wissing has settled on starting Senegalese midfielder Dion Lopy in place of Colombian Richard Ríos against the UAE’s Al Ain in the AFC Champions League Elite, according to Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh.
Al-Ittihad coach Jens Wissing has settled on starting Senegalese midfielder Dion Lopy in place of Colombian Richard Ríos against the UAE’s Al Ain in the AFC Champions League Elite, according to Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh.
Al-Ittihad host Al Ain on Monday at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah, in the fourth round of the league phase. Ríos suffered an injury to his left ankle joint eight minutes into Friday’s match against Abha in the twelfth round of the Roshn Saudi League, ruling him out of the Asian fixture.
Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Ríos will also miss next Friday’s match against Neom in the thirteenth round of the Roshn Saudi League. His absence gives Lopy an opportunity after he was left out of the starting lineup in recent weeks, having been an important player at the start of the season.
Lopy is expected to play alongside Mukhtar Ali in midfield, while Algerian Houssem Aouar takes on a more advanced attacking role. Al-Ittihad are seeking their second consecutive win in the competition, having collected four points from a win, a draw and a defeat to sit eighth in the West group.
Al Ain top the West group with nine points from three wins, including a 4-0 victory over Al Nassr in the first round.