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Al Wahda and Al Nassr square off at the King Saud University Stadium on Saturday for their quarter-final clash in the AFC Champions League 2021.
It's the only clash of the round where neither side has ever won the continental trophy, but the meeting still does not suffer from a lack of intrigue.
Al Wahda, the Abu Dhabi-based outfit, have reached this far in the competition for the first time since 2007. They will have revenge on their minds for the last-16 exit at the hands of their weekend rivals two years ago.
The arrival of Omar Khirbin at the start of this year's campaign has truly bolstered the squad as the Syrian forward has brought the X-factor back to the club.
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Their counterparts from Riyadh are looking to emulate last year's semi-final finish, the best the side has managed in almost 20 years.
Pedro Emanuel is the new man in-charge to guide the club after replacing Mano Menzes and the Knights of Najd will be relying on his experience to steer them into the last eight.
Al Wahda vs Al Nassr Head-To-Head
The sides last clashed in the round of 16 of the competition in a two-legged encounter which Al Nassr won 4-3 on aggregate.
The first-leg in Riyadh ended in a 1-1 stalemate before the Saudi outfit pulled off a 3-2 comeback victory in Abu Dhabi.
Al Wahda Form Guide (all competitions): L-D-D-D-D
Al Nassr Form Guide (all competitions): W-W-L-W-L
Al Wahda vs Al Nassr Team News
Al Wahda
Mansoor Al-Harbi is suspended from the clash as the midfielder was sent off in stoppage-time of their last-16 penalty shootout win over Sharjah.
Abdulla Anwar is still serving his suspension and hasn't been called up for Saturday's fixture.
But meanwhile, Ismail Matar returns for the first time since he was sent off against Al Rayyan in their fourth group stage clash.
Talismanic strike duo Omar Khirbin and Joao Pedro are likely to lead the line once more.
Injured: None
Suspended: Mansoor Al-Harbi, Abdulla Anwar
Unavailable: None
Al Nassr
The Knights of Najd officially herald a new era as Pedro Emanuel takes charge of his first match.
It's still unclear what the side can expect from him but in-form Cameroonian striker Vincent Aboubakar will lead the charge upfront once again.
The arrival of Brazilian midfielder Anderson Talisca has also added so much quality to their ranks and he will take up his position behind the striker.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Al Wahda vs Al Nassr Predicted XI
Al Wahda (4-3-3): Mohammed Al-Shamsi; Mohammed Barqesh, Fares Jumaa, Ahmed Rashed, Mahmoud Khamees; Lee Myung-joo, Khamis Esmaeel, Ismail Matar; Mansour Said, Joao Pedro, Omar Khirbin.
Al Nassr (4-3-2-1): Waleed Abdullah; Sultan Al-Ghannam, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Mohammed Al-Fatil, Mohammed Qassem; Ali Al-Hassan, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Jaloliddin Masharipov; Anderson Talisca, Abdulfattah Asiri; Vincent Aboubakar.
Al Wahda vs Al Nassr Prediction
Al Wahda are unbeaten in their last few games, but their form has been patchy.
They've drawn their last five league games in a row and needed a penalty shootout to beat Sharjah in the last-16.
It shows that although the Abu Dhabi outfit are tough to beat, they struggle to win games.
Al Nassr can expect a difficult contest too but the strike duo of Aboubakar and Talisca can do their job.
Prediction: Al Wahda 1-2 (AET) Al Nassr
