Al Ahly head coach Jose Riveiro has shared his thoughts on how his side plans to take on the unpredictable Palmeiras FC in their upcoming second FIFA Club World Cup Group A match.
The two teams are set to clash at the MetLife Stadium at 18h00 on Thursday evening, with both still chasing their first victory of the tournament. This encounter could prove pivotal in determining the group’s outcome.
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Riveiro’s side opened their campaign with a hard-fought goalless draw against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium last Saturday.
Despite being seen as underdogs heading into that match, Ahly delivered a disciplined performance and managed to frustrate Miami, earning a valuable point.
Palmeiras, meanwhile, also began their campaign with a stalemate, holding Portuguese giants FC Porto to a 0-0 draw. The results have left Group A wide open, with all four teams locked on a single point and no goals scored yet.
With such fine margins, the group is proving to be one of the trickiest and most unpredictable in the competition. A single win now could make all the difference in securing progression to the knockout stage.
Looking ahead to the showdown with Palmeiras, Riveiro emphasised the importance of replicating the same intensity and tactical focus his team displayed against Miami.
The former Orlando Pirates mentor believes that if Ahly can apply similar pressure, particularly by focusing on key players in the Brazilian team's lineup, his side stands a chance of coming away with crucial three points.
"The issue of Trezeguet's missed penalty kick has been completely closed, we don't want to talk about it again, and I don't prefer to speak individually about any of my players," said Riveiro, per Sport.Asharq.
"We must focus solely on the match against Palmeiras in order to achieve a positive result and compete for qualification to the round of 16 of the tournament.
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"The idea of relying on defensive contraction and counter-attacking is to force the opponent to perform at a lower level than usual in order to prevent them from creating real chances on our goal," he added.
"It's important to impose strong control on key players, as we did with Lionel Messi, whom we made a great effort to prevent from passing and posing a threat to goal."
Photo Cred: Al Ahly SC
