Portuguese coach Sérgio Conceição, manager of Al-Ittihad, denied rumors that the club's management asked him to prioritize the AFC Champions League over the Saudi League competitions, affirming that this has never happened.

Conceição explained in statements reported by journalist Alaa Saeed that the management did not ask him to prioritize the Asian Championship, emphasizing that he would not accept such a request even if it were made. He pointed out that the losses the team suffered in the league were not fair considering their performance.

The Portuguese coach confirmed that he was aware of the difficulty of the stage when he took over the leadership of Al-Ittihad, describing the task as part of a large project. He explained that he did not prefer to take charge under such complicated circumstances, but he pledged to restore Al-Ameed to its normal state through hard work.

Conceição pointed to the strength of Qatar's Al-Duhail team, which Al-Ittihad will face in the fifth round of the AFC Champions League Elite, emphasizing that he has prepared the team for several different scenarios, especially since he knows some of the opposing players whom he coached in previous stages.

The coach emphasized the necessity of entering the match with the highest level of focus from the very first minutes to achieve a positive result, acknowledging that the limited time after the last league match did not allow for ideal preparation for the encounter.

Al-Ittihad occupies sixth place in Group B with 6 points, while Al-Duhail is in seventh place with 4 points after 4 rounds, making the match between them highly significant in the race for qualification.