Karim Benzema’s absence won’t affect Al Ittihad – Al Wahda coach Jose Morais

Al Wahda coach Jose Morais believes the absence of France international of Algerian descent Karim Benzema will not have any effect on Al Ittihad ahead of their crucial AFC Champions League clash.

In a high-stake clash on Monday, Al Wahda from UAE will take on the Saudi Pro League outfit at Al Nahyan Stadium, in the first round of the 2025-2026 Champions League campaign.

However, the Portuguese trainer has highlighted the difficulty of the match, while eyeing a win against Al Ittihad in the crucial clash.

“The match against Al-Ittihad will be difficult, and we will work to make Al-Wahda fans happy by winning the match against Al-Ittihad,” Jose Moraes said at the match’s press conference.

“Al Wahda will be without Sasha, who is a great asset to us, while Karim Benzema will be absent from Al Ittihad’s roster. However, the French star’s absence will not shake Al Ittihad, given the club’s strong bench.”

Meanwhile, Jose Morais, who previously managed Benzema at Real Madrid was hoping to see the latter play in the upcoming clash.

“I was hoping Karim Benzema would have played. I coached him when he played for Real Madrid, so I was hoping to face him, but there are significant absences on both teams.”

The last encounter between Al-Ameed and Emirati clubs dates back to May 21, 2019, when they played Al-Wahda in the second leg of the AFC Champions League group stage. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.