Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
How they qualified: Winners - King Cup of Champions 2011
Established 1937
Home stadium Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium (17,200)
Website www.alahlisc.com
Club Honours
Saudi League champions 2 - 1978, 1984
Crown Prince Cup winners 5 - 1957, 1970, 1998, 2002, 2007
King Cup of Champions 1 - 2011
Previous ACL appearances
2003 - 3rd qualifying round
2005 - Quarter-finals
2008 - Group stage
2010 - Group stage
Formed in 1937, eight years after the establishment of city rivals Al Ittihad, Al Ahli have often played second fiddle to the older Jeddah club during their history.
While Al Ahli have won two Saudi League titles and five Crown Prince Cups, their trophy haul pales in comparison to their neighbours, who have eight league championships and seven cups in addition to their two AFC Champions League titles.
Al Ahli have qualified for four previous editions of the AFC Champions League but only reached the knockout stage once in 2005 when they lost 4-3 on aggregate to China's Shenzhen Jianlibao in the quarter-finals. They were eliminated during the group stage in 2008 and 2010 and won only two of the 12 games that they played in those campaigns.
But having defeated Al Ittihad on penalties in the final of the King Cup of Champions last season, the fortunes of Al Ahli look to be on the rise while their neighbours appear to be in decline.
While Al Ittihad have had a mediocre campaign and currently languish in mid-table, their green-shirted neighbours have been in excellent form this year and are battling for top spot against Al Shabab after suffering only one loss in the league so far this season.
Expectations
While their last two AFC Champions League campaigns were hugely disappointing, Al Ahli enter the 2012 tournament as one of the more experienced clubs in Group C, which also includes newcomers Lekhwiya and Al Nasr. They have been in good form this season in the Saudi League, where they are currently on a 16-match unbeaten run but with their other group rivals also playing well, qualification from Group C will not be easy.
Coach
Karel Jarolim
After leading Slovan Bratislava to the domestic double in Slovakia last season, Karel Jarolim accepted his first job outside of Europe last September when he was put in charge of Al Ahli. The 55-year-old Czech has done well so far with the Jeddah club, who have been in the thick of a battle for the Saudi league title with Al Shabab and Al Hilal throughout the season.
Did you know?
Al Ahli (which means 'the national' in Arabic) is one of the most common names for football clubs in the Arab world with teams in no less than nine countries - including Egypt, Qatar, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates - using it. Two of those Al Ahlis met during the qualifying round of the AFC Champions League in 2002-03 with the club from the UAE beating the one from Saudi Arabia 5-4 on aggregate.
Key Player
Taisir Al Jassim
Creative midfielder Taisir Al Jassim has been with Al Ahli for much of his career since he turned professional and joined the club in 2004 at the age of 18. Now 27, the Saudi international has developed into a key man for the Jeddah club and played an important part in their victory in the King Cup of Champions last year.