The Western Sydney Wanderers are on the verge of claiming the Asian Champions League, but preparation for Sunday morning’s final isn’t exactly going to plan.
The Wanderers landed in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday following last weekend’s 1-0 first leg victory over Al-Hilal, but their preparation since arriving has been far from comfortable.
Searing temperatures and security concerns mean players are confined to their hotel rooms in the capital Riyadh with the only expeditions around the city being for training purposes.
“In Dubai (Western Sydney’s pre-season training camp) there wasn’t a day under 45 degrees, it’s a mental test more than anything,’’ striker Mark Bridge said. “That was tough and I think that has prepared us mentally for this stage.
“It was pretty cool (at training) compared with that, the air still a bit dry and you get that dryness in your mouth. The sleep is the hardest thing, trying to stay awake the whole day to overcome that jet lag.’’
Wednesday’s attempt at practice was hampered when the team bus pulled a no-show. The squad eventually arrived at the training facility 30 minutes late after the hotel provided a mini bus. The team was left wondering if Al-Hilal fans, one of Asian football’s richest clubs, were behind the incident.
“We’re expecting the worst,’’ defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley said.
“That’s something we’ve talked about all week. Something like the bus not turning up is water off a duck’s back. We put into place plan B and get on with it.’’
Just 14 local Western Sydney fans will make the trip to Saudi Arabia thanks to last minute travel costs and the country’s complicated visa process, but the Wanderers should still have the backing of fans from rival Saudi Arabian clubs hoping to see the Aussie team dismantle the private jet-flying Al-Hilal.
Plenty of fans from rival Riyadh club Al-Nassr have already appeared on social media chanting “Sydney” after last week’s victory and are expected to turn out in droves to support the visitors.
Wanderers fans in Saudi Arabia even have their own Twitter account, created after the club qualified for the final.
The Arabic language account is pushing 50,000 followers, far more Al-Hilal’s 33,000 Twitter followers.
Photo: Getty Images
