Al Nasr to face former Barcelona midfielder in ACL as Seydou Keita signs for El Jaish

Al Nasr will likely have to deal with the threat of Seydou Keita when they face El Jaish in the Asian Champions League quarter-finals after the former Barcelona midfielder signed a six-month deal with the Qatari club.

Keita, 36, was released by Roma this summer following two years at the Italian side. He made 20 appearances last season.

The Mali international is arguably best remembered for his four-year spell at Barcelona from 2008, during which time he helped the club win three Primera Liga titles and two Uefa Champions Leagues.

Keita’s first major task for El Jaish comes in seven days’ time when they host Nasr in the first leg of their Champions League last-eight tie on August 24, with the return fixture in Dubai scheduled for September 14.

While the deadline to register new players for the Champions League quarter-final stage closed 15 days before the fixture's date, a player can be registered up to seven days before if the call-up is to replace an injured player. In this instance, Keita's inclusion is to fill the gap left by striker Abderrazak Hamdallah, who is recovering from a hairline fracture to his knee.

Keita has also had spells at Marseille, Lens, Sevilla, Valencia and Chinese side Dalian Aerbin. He has also helped Mali reach four Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals, including third-place finishes in 2012 and 2013.

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