Abderrazak Hamdallah, the prolific El Jaish striker, is set to miss two months of competitive action through injury — a scenario that could inadvertently hand Al Nasr a major advantage in their Asian Champions League quest.
The Dubai club face El Jaish in the upcoming two-legged quarter-final tie, with the initial encounter in Doha on August 24. The return match takes place at Al Maktoum Stadium on September 14.
Hamdullah is integral to El Jaish’s chances of progressing to the semi-finals, but he has suffered a hairline fracture to his knee and is now expected to miss both fixtures against Nasr and the beginning of the Qatar Stars League, scheduled for mid-September.
Hamdullah, formerly of China’s Guangzhou R&F, enjoyed a fine debut campaign at El Jaish last season, scoring 21 goals in 23 league matches to finish joint top goalscorer. He also notched the winner in the Qatar Cup final against Lekhwiya.
Nasr, meanwhile, are contesting the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Asian’s premier club competition, for the first time.
[ jmcauley@thenational.ae ]
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