As part of the intensive preparations for the anticipated confrontation in the Asian arena, Italian coach Simone Inzaghi, the coach of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal club, has finalized the names that will compensate for the absence of the team’s main pillars, Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly, in the tough match that will bring together “Al-Zaeem” with its counterpart Sharjah of the UAE.
Al-Hilal will be a formidable guest against Sharjah in the sixth round of the 2025-2026 AFC Champions League, a match in which the Blues will seek to reaffirm their continental dominance and lead the group. Coach Inzaghi has decided to field French goalkeeper Mathieu Poté in goal for Al-Hilal, after officially including him in the squad traveling to the United Arab Emirates, making him the first-choice keeper for this crucial encounter.
On the defensive front, the coaching staff opted for the young Turkish defender Yusuf Akçışık to fill the center-back position, a challenging task to compensate for the absence of the Senegalese rock, Kalidou Koulibaly. This reliance on substitute players is part of the coach's strategy to cope with the significant forced absences plaguing the team at a crucial point in the season.
Impact of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Asian clubs
The absence of the professional duo Bono and Coulibaly from Al-Hilal's ranks comes in response to the call of duty, as the two players join their respective national teams, Morocco and Senegal, to participate in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals. This tournament is one of the strongest continental competitions, as the Moroccan and Senegalese teams are considered among the top contenders to win the title, which means the players' absence could extend until the final stages of the tournament.
This timing puts the big clubs that have top-class African professionals in a real challenge to test the depth of the squad and the strength of the substitutes' bench, which is what Al-Hilal always relies on, with its squad packed with stars and substitutes ready to make a difference at any moment.
The importance of facing Sharjah in the AFC Champions League Elite
The Al-Hilal vs. Sharjah match holds special significance beyond being just a group stage game; it comes within the framework of the new "AFC Champions League Elite" format, which intensifies the competition between the continent's top teams. Saudi-Emirati encounters are always considered "Gulf derbies," characterized by fierce rivalry and high-profile fan engagements.
Al Hilal seeks through this match to send a strong message to its rivals in the continent that it is ready with whoever is present, and that the absence of big names does not diminish the quality of the technical system led by Inzaghi, while Sharjah aspires to take advantage of the home ground and crowd factors, and the absences in the ranks of its opponent, to achieve a positive result that strengthens its position in the standings.
