The King Salman Club Cup, also known as the Arab Club Champions Cup, has kicked off its group-stage matches.

Qatar football giants Al Sadd drew 0-0 in their opening group-stage match of the 2023 King Salman Club Cup against Morocco’s Wydad.

Held at Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium, the Qataris played a potent offence against the Moroccans, firing off 12 shots though only marking two on target.

Holding a 71% ball possession, Qatar’s strong squad of 27 players towered against the Moroccans as they produced 443 passes, with the Moroccan team delivering less than half of that.

Despite the offensive domination, Qatar fell short of securing a goal as they expected a strong performance in the opening match.

“Pleased to play in this tournament, our aim is to win,” coach Bruno Miguel expressed ahead of the match against Wydad of Morocco.

“As the coach of Al-Sadd, my goal is to lead the team to win and to compete for the title. Our technical and physical readiness is not yet at its peak, having had only six or seven training sessions at most,” the Portuguese coach added.

“Our mentality drives us to win and compete, and most clubs share the same determination. However, the tournament also serves as a crucial preparation stage for us, especially with a challenging upcoming season.”

Representing the only team from Qatar, Al Sadd began their summer training in Austria ahead of the regional tournament.

Returning only this week, one of Qatar’s most successful clubs will need to secure three crucial points in the early stages of the tournament to continue.

With the group-stage matches occurring kicking off on Thursday to 3 August, Al-Sadd will compete in Group B of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, Libya’s Al-Ahly Tripoli, and Al-Wedad of Morocco.

The formidable rivals Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia will be the team’s hardest opponent yet as they are perceived to be the best club in the Middle East region.

The match between the two teams will commence next Sunday at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium.