Ayyoub Odisho, the coach of Zakho Club, is set to face Saudi club Al-Shabab in the semi-finals of the Gulf Clubs Champions League tomorrow, Sunday. He has previous experience against Saudi football when he led Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in three official matches in the AFC Champions League.

Odisho's first encounter with Saudi clubs was against Al-Wehda in the playoff qualifying for the AFC Champions League group stage. The match, held at Al-Wehda's stadium, ended in a 1-1 draw in both regular and extra time, leading the teams to a penalty shootout.

Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, led by Odisho, prevailed and secured a spot in the group stage, in a match that demonstrated the Iraqi coach's ability to handle pressure and knockout matches against Saudi teams. That night was the first indication that Odisho knew how to achieve positive results against Saudi league clubs.

Odisho's second and third encounters with Saudi clubs were against Al-Ittihad in the group stage of the same AFC Champions League edition, as the draw placed them in the same group with the 'Brigadier'.

The first meeting between the two teams ended with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya losing 1-0 due to a last-minute goal, after Odisho was close to securing a valuable away point thanks to the solid defensive organization he employed against Al-Ittihad's star-studded squad.

However, Odisho quickly redeemed himself in the return match held at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, northern Iraq. There, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya delivered one of their best Asian matches, defeating Al-Ittihad 2-0 in a match where the 'Falcons' dominated both performance and result, confirming Odisho's capability to challenge big teams when playing at home and among their fans.

Now, Odisho returns to face Saudi football once again, but this time with Zakho against Al-Shabab in the semi-finals of the Gulf Clubs Champions League. The match will be held on Sunday at Khalifa International Stadium in Al-Rayyan at 5 PM.

Zakho enters the match as the leader of Group A in the first round alongside Kuwait's Al-Qadsia, having arrived in Doha two days ago via Istanbul Airport after a short training camp in Turkey. The team relies on the collective spirit and defensive discipline that characterized them in the group stage, and on their coach Odisho's experience in dealing with Saudi clubs.