Al Sadd vs Al Ittihad prediction 17.02.2026 | AFC Champions League

Al Sadd have been the best team in Qatar in recent years, winning four titles in the past five years. Last season, they won the double, taking the domestic title and the League Cup. This season, the popular "Al Zaeem" are doing well across competitions. At the moment, they are at the top of the QSL with 32 points, but only one point away from the 2nd-placed Al-Gharafa.  

In the AFC Champions League, Al Sadd had a terrible start, but after winning the last two games against Shabab Al Ahli Dubai and Tractor, they put themselves in a solid position. Now, they are in 8th place, but on level with two other teams with eight points. Unfortunately, those teams will face much weaker opponents. So, despite being in a good position, they need a positive result, or maybe even a win in the last game.

Last season, Al Ittihad had an amazing season, winning the domestic double. This season, from the very start, it became evident that the team from Jeddah is nowhere near last season's level. After 21 rounds, the last season's Saudi Professional League champions are sitting in 6th place with 37 points and are already 16 points behind the first-placed Al Hilal. Their struggles were further underlined by the recent departure of one of their key figures, Karim Benzema, who joined their bitter rivals Al Hilal.

In the AFC Champions League, Al Hilal won 12 points in seven rounds, which is undoubtedly not as good as they expected before the start of the competition. Generally speaking, it has been an underwhelming season for the team from Jeddah, but a deep run or potentially a title in the AFC CL would pretty much save their season. And looking at their squad on paper, the popular Tigers should't be underestimated. Still, with the knockout phase already secured, Al Ittihad are unlikely to go all out against Al Sadd.