The Doyen seeks Asian qualificationGermany’s Jens Wissing has thrown his weight behind Houssem Aouar and Youssef En-Nesyri, naming the pair in his starting line-up for his first competitive match in charge of Saudi side Al-Ittihad this season.The Tigers face Al-Jazira today, Tuesday, at the Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, in the preliminary round qualifying for the league stage of the AFC Champions League Elite.Wissing’s official team sheet featured Moroccan striker En-Nesyri and Algerian midfielder Aouar, a call that flew in the face of reports suggesting the German coach was unconvinced by the duo.Saudi Roshn League match ticketsBuy your ticket now!French winger Moussa Diaby also made the cut, lining up alongside En-Nesyri and Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn, the latter named despite reports linking him with a summer move to German club Bayer Leverkusen.Saudi Pro LeagueAl IttihadITT16 Aug 202602:00Al KholoodALKArabian Gulf LeagueHattaHAT16 Aug 202622:10Al-JaziraALJIn midfield, Wissing handed a start to new signing Dion Lopy, the Senegalese arrival from Spanish club Almeria, alongside Aouar and young Farha Al-Shamrani, with numbers clearly thin in that area.Lopy wasn’t the only fresh face on the list. Left-back Faris Abdi, signed from Neom, joined him, slotting in alongside Portugal’s Danilo Pereira, Cameroon’s Steve Kaller and Serbia’s Karlo Simic.Al-Ittihad’s line-up was as follows:Goalkeeper: Predrag RajkovicDefence: Steve Kaller – Danilo Pereira – Karlo Simic – Faris AbdiMidfield: Houssem Aouar – Dion Lopy – Farha Al-ShamraniAttack: Moussa Diaby – Youssef En-Nesyri – Steven Bergwijn
