Even after their defeat to Al Hilal (1:3), Al Ittihad remain the primary challengers to the reigning champions, while Al Ahli have been inconsistent for the second season running. For Matthias Jaissle and his staff, the upcoming match serves as another test of their credentials, one they cannot afford to fail.
The current strength of Al Ittihad lies in the successful integration of two newcomers, Houssem Aouar and Moussa Diaby. The former Lyon and AS Roma midfielder is among the league leaders in goal contributions (5+2 in 8 matches), while Karim Benzema, the captain of the team from Jeddah, has scored eight times. Under Laurent Blanc, Al Ittihad played an aggressive attacking game and have won six consecutive matches after their loss to Al Hilal, finding the back of the net 15 times.
Despite a rocky start to the Premier League, Al Ahli, too, have shown attacking prowess. They have scored 12 goals in 8 games, with only four teams having a better goal tally. In their latest away fixture, the team defeated Al Khaleej (3:0) after a sending-off left their opponents down to ten men. Their star signing, Ivan Toney, consistently creates chances (3+2 in six matches).
In the last five rounds of the championship, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli have collectively played in seven games that featured three or more goals. This key clash of the month promises to be an open contest, as these top competitors are unlikely to adopt a defensive approach.
|
Laurent Blanc
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
Predrag Rajković
|
gk. | 8 | -8 |
|
Hamed Al-Shanqiti
|
gk. | 1 | 0 |
|
Abdullah Al-Jadani
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mohammed Al-Mahasneh
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Osama Al-Mermesh
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Hasan Kadesh
|
df. | 7 | 0 |
|
Saad Al-Mousa
|
df. | 7 | 0 |
|
Abdulelah Al-Amri
|
df. | 6 | 0 |
|
Fawaz Al-Sagour
|
df. | 6 | 1 |
|
Muhannad Shanqeeti
|
df. | 6 | 0 |
|
Mario Mitaj
|
df. | 4 | 1 |
|
Muath Fagihy
|
df. | 3 | 0 |
|
Luiz Felipe
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Ahmed Bamasud
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ahmed Sharahili
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Henrique Fabiano do Carmo
|
mf. | 8 | 1 |
|
Houssem Aouar
|
mf. | 8 | 5 |
|
N'Golo Kanté
|
mf. | 7 | 1 |
|
Hamed Al-Ghamdi
|
mf. | 3 | 1 |
|
Danilo Pereira
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Abdalellah Hawsawi
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Abdulaziz Al-Shammari
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Awad Al-Nashri
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Karim Benzema
|
fw. | 8 | 8 |
|
Moussa Diaby
|
fw. | 8 | 1 |
|
Saleh Al-Shehri
|
fw. | 6 | 1 |
|
Steven Bergwijn
|
fw. | 6 | 1 |
|
Abdulrahman Al-Oboud
|
fw. | 5 | 0 |
|
Abdulaziz Al-Bishi
|
fw. | 3 | 0 |
|
Ahmed Al-Ghamdi
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Omar Al-Jadani
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Talal Haji
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Matthias Jaissle
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
Édouard Mendy
|
gk. | 5 | -5 |
|
Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi
|
gk. | 4 | -3 |
|
Abdullah Abdo
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ghassan Barqawi
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Roger Ibañez
|
df. | 8 | 0 |
|
Ali Majrashi
|
df. | 7 | 0 |
|
Merih Demiral
|
df. | 7 | 1 |
|
Abdullah Al-Ammar
|
df. | 5 | 0 |
|
Bassam Al-Hurayji
|
df. | 5 | 0 |
|
Saad Balobaid
|
df. | 4 | 0 |
|
Fahd Al-Hamad
|
df. | 3 | 0 |
|
Rayan Hamed
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Ahmed Al-Nakhli
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mohammed Baker
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Franck Kessié
|
mf. | 8 | 1 |
|
Gabriel Veiga
|
mf. | 8 | 2 |
|
Ziyad Mubarak Al-Johani
|
mf. | 6 | 0 |
|
Sumaihan Al-Nabit
|
mf. | 5 | 0 |
|
Abdulkarim Darisi
|
mf. | 4 | 1 |
|
Ali Al-Asmari
|
mf. | 4 | 0 |
|
Alexsander Cristhian Gomes da Costa
|
mf. | 3 | 0 |
|
Abdullah Otayf
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Bandar Al-Shamrani
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mohammed Al-Majhad
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Riyad Mahrez
|
fw. | 8 | 1 |
|
Roberto Firmino
|
fw. | 8 | 2 |
|
Firas Al-Buraikan
|
fw. | 7 | 1 |
|
Ivan Toney
|
fw. | 6 | 3 |
|
Fahad Al-Rashidi
|
fw. | 4 | 0 |
|
Yaseen Al-Zubaidi
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Abdullah Masswed
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
Post by:
Saudi Pro League
