Pioli confident as Al Nassr prepare for Asian semi showdown

JEDDAH - Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli declared his side injury-free ahead of Wednesdays Asian Champions League Elite semi-final against Kawasaki Frontale in Jeddah as the Saudi Pro League side look to reach the final for the first time in almost 30 years.

The Riyadh-based outfit last made the decider in 1995, but a brace from Jhon Duran and strikes by Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo sealed a 4-1 win over Yokohama F Marinos on Saturday to move the Saudi side to the cusp of a first title.

We are ready for the match, but in training we will decide which group is going to play, Pioli said. The team is ready to play the game with great spirit, high performance.

Al-Nassr are one of three Saudi Pro League sides in the semi-finals, the first time a single nation has dominated the latter stages of the competition to such an extent.

The huge injection of cash into the countrys leading clubs by Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund in 2023 which prompted the signing of numerous high-profile players from around the world is having a major impact on this years competition.

Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli have also advanced to the last four and will meet on Tuesday.

Japans Kawasaki are the only team from their half of the confederation left in the competition after their win over Qatars Al-Sadd, and the J-League side have been further disadvantaged by having one day less to recover than Al-Nassr.

Frontale needed extra-time to defeat Felix Sanchezs side and coach Shigetoshi Hasebe admitted he was concerned about his players lack of freshness ahead of the Al-Nassr clash.

All the players are tired because they played for 120 minutes, which is very difficult for us, he said. But well be playing in a different stadium, so we can