The Riyadh derby is set to be the highlight of the upcoming round in the Saudi Arabian league. Both Al-Shabab and Al-Nassr are in decent form since the start of the campaign, so fans can expect an active game laden with chances.
Before their slip-up against Damac (0:1), Al-Shabab were on a five-match winning streak. In their most recent home fixture against Al-Raed (2:1), it was Argentine forward Cristian Guanca who delivered the winning goal from Giacomo Bonaventura's assist after the break. Overall, the team have been defensively solid under Vitor Pereira, but they haven't yet faced significant opposition—facing a fellow top-four contender will be a true test.
In their last six encounters, Al-Nassr have scored 14 goals—bettered only by Al-Ittihad (17) and Al-Hilal (18), who top the league standings. Early in the season, Cristiano Ronaldo is keeping pace with Aleksandar Mitrović and Karim Benzema, boasting a respectable 5+2; Anderson Talisca (3+0) and Sadio Mané (2+5) also stand out. Before the break against Al-Orouba (3:0), their tactics under Stefano Pioli followed the familiar 4-2-3-1 formation—the former AC Milan manager had found a balance within the lines.
In the previous season, Al-Shabab and Al-Nassr consistently surpassed the goals total (0:4, 2:5, 2:3). This upcoming clash in Riyadh is set to thrill spectators with plenty of action.
|
Vitor Pereira
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
Seung-gyu Kim
|
gk. | 6 | -3 |
|
Abdullah Al-Mayouf
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Fawaz Al Qarni
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mohammed Al-Absi
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mohammed Al-Otaibi
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Nader Al-Sharari
|
df. | 6 | 0 |
|
Hussain Al-Sabiyani
|
df. | 5 | 0 |
|
Wesley Hoedt
|
df. | 5 | 1 |
|
Robert Renan Alves Barbosa
|
df. | 4 | 0 |
|
Mohammed Al-Shwirekh
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Nawaf Al Ghulaimish
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Mohammed Harbush
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Cristian Guanca
|
mf. | 6 | 1 |
|
Giacomo Bonaventura
|
mf. | 6 | 0 |
|
Majed Omar Kanabah
|
mf. | 6 | 1 |
|
Gustavo Cuéllar
|
mf. | 5 | 0 |
|
Musab Al-Juwayr
|
mf. | 4 | 0 |
|
Fares Owais
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mohammed Eissa Al-Yami
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Younes Al-Shanqeeti
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Nawaf Al-Sadi
|
fw. | 6 | 0 |
|
Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco
|
fw. | 5 | 1 |
|
Haroune Camara
|
fw. | 4 | 0 |
|
Mohamed Al-Thani
|
fw. | 4 | 0 |
|
Majed Abdullah
|
fw. | 3 | 0 |
|
Abderazak Hamdallah
|
fw. | 2 | 1 |
|
Fahad Al-Muwallad
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Hamad Al-Khorayef
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Abdullah Al-Jawaey
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Daniel Podence
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Saad Al-Muwallad
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Stefano Pioli
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
Bento
|
gk. | 6 | -3 |
|
Nawaf Al-Aqidi
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Raghed Al Najjar
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Aymeric Laporte
|
df. | 6 | 0 |
|
Sultan Al-Ghannam
|
df. | 6 | 0 |
|
Mohamed Simakan
|
df. | 4 | 0 |
|
Nawaf Al-Boushal
|
df. | 4 | 0 |
|
Salem Al-Najdi
|
df. | 4 | 1 |
|
Ali Lajami
|
df. | 3 | 0 |
|
Mohammed Al-Fatil
|
df. | 3 | 0 |
|
Asser Housawi
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Awad Aman
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Majed Qasheesh
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mansour Al-Shammari
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Abdullah Al-Khaibari
|
mf. | 6 | 0 |
|
Otavio
|
mf. | 6 | 0 |
|
Talisca
|
mf. | 5 | 3 |
|
Marcelo Brozović
|
mf. | 4 | 1 |
|
Mukhtar Ali
|
mf. | 3 | 0 |
|
Ali Al-Hassan
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Sami Al-Najei
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Abdulrahman Gharib
|
fw. | 6 | 0 |
|
Cristiano Ronaldo
|
fw. | 6 | 5 |
|
Sadio Mané
|
fw. | 6 | 2 |
|
Ayman Yahya
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Mohammed Maran
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Ângelo Gabriel Borges
|
fw. | 2 | 1 |
|
Wesley Gassova Ribeiro Teixeira
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Khalil Al-Absi
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
Post by:
Saudi Pro League
