“We know this isn’t going to be an easy match, we’re playing a strong opponent that has many positive skills,” said the former Porto and AC Milan coach.

“In the last few days we have played for 130 minutes so we know it’s going to be a tough game. But we believe it will be a balanced game and we are preparing to win.

“(In the previous match) we know some players had injuries but they did all they could do fight to the end, to fight for 130 minutes and to get a penalty at the end.

“They had a lot of fighting spirit and huge desire to win. It’s not just in this competition, where we will be playing every three days, we have played two games a week in the league and there is a lot of fatigue.”

Al Ittihad have come into the AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah 2026 in mixed form with their defence of the Saudi Pro League title secured last year fizzling out earlier in the campaign.

That leaves the quest for a third continental championship as the club’s primary focus with Conceicao determined not to leave anything to chance.

“When we play in such a tournament you have to analyse every detail, when you play an opponent you have to analyse everything,” he said. “You have to think about the worst case scenario - extra time and penalties – and you have to try to finish everything as early as possible. You have to be prepared to win and focus on that.

“There might be some issues that have some impact on the performance like the substitution of players but we have to think about what is the most convenient for us to win.”

Al Ittihad are facing a Machida side making their first appearance in the AFC Champions League Elite as the club continues its rise towards the summit of both the Japanese and Asian game.

Head coach Go Kuroda has led the club from mid-table in Japan’s second division to the last eight of the continental championship in a little over three seasons and is confident his team can match Al Ittihad’s talent-laden squad.

“Saudi Arabia has several teams playing in Asia on a large scale,” he said. “They have a lot of technical ability, they are very powerful and those are things you don't see much in the J League.

“It’s a very large country and a very wealthy nation, they have a lot of funds to bring in players from abroad. We must respect this and challenge them but it doesn’t matter who we play, we’re going to play our own style of football and do everything to win.

“A lot of our players have played for a long time on the J.League and on the international stage as well so we know what it’s like to play in front of big crowds as well so we’re ready to adapt.”