Al Fateh will be looking to pick up a third win on the bounce for the first time this year when they visit the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium to face Al Ettifaq on Thursday.
Having lost both home and away meetings between the sides last season, the hosts set out to get one over the Paragon and strengthen their position in the upper echelons of the Saudi Professional League table.
Match preview
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Al Etiffaq were denied back-to-back away wins for the first time in the 2023-24 Saudi Professional League campaign as they played out a goalless draw with Al-Ahli last Saturday.
In a cagey affair at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, both sides were guilty of a lethargic display at the attacking end of the pitch as they fluffed several clear-cut chances before settling for a share of the spoils.
Prior to that, Al Ettifaq booked their spot in the round of 16 of the Kings Cup as they thrashed Jeddah Club 4-0 on September 24 courtesy of goals from Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi and a brace from French striker Moussa Dembele.
With Saturday's result, Steven Gerrard's men have now gone four consecutive games without defeat in the league, picking up three wins and one draw since a 2-0 loss against Al Hilal on August 28.
Next up for Al Ettifaq is an opposing side who have won each of the last three meetings between the teams, scoring 10 goals and keeping three clean sheets since a goalless draw in September 2021.
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Al Fateh, on the other hand, turned in a performance of the highest quality last weekend when they cruised to a 5-1 victory over Al Wehda at the Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Stadium.
After falling behind to a 21st-minute opener from Craig Goodwin, the Paragon rallied and turned the game on its head courtesy of strikes from Mourad Batna, Djaniny and a hat-trick from Cristian Tello.
Al Fateh have now won three of their last four league matches — scoring 14 goals and conceding five in that time — with a 2-1 loss against Al-Ittihad at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium on September 21 being the exception.
Slaven Bilic's men also reached the round of 16 of the Kings Cup as they picked up a comfortable 3-1 victory over Al Okhdood when the sides squared off in Hofuf on September 27.
Al Fateh have picked up four wins, two draws and lost two of their opening eight league matches this season to collect 14 points and sit seventh in the Professional League table, three points and two places below Thursday's hosts.
Team News
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Al Ettifaq head into Wednesday's tie with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Gerrard the luxury of a full-strength squad at his disposal.
That said, we expect an unchanged front three of Demarai Gray, Robin Quaison and 27-year-old Dembele, who has 10 goal involvements in nine matches since his summer move from Olympique Lyon.
Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson have started each of the Al Ettifaq's last four matches and we expect the former Liverpool duo to retain their roles at the centre of the park.
At the defensive end of the pitch, Abdullah Khateeb, Jack Hendry, Marcel Tisserand and Radhi Al-Oteibi should form the back four once again, shielding 36-year-old Paulo Victor in goal.
Tello continued his impressive start to the season with a hat-trick against Al Wehda at the weekend and the 32-year-old will be looming to deliver the goods once again.
The attacker, who assisted two goals in Al Fateh's 4-0 victory over Al Ettifaq back in May, should form the front three with Batna and former Columbus Crew striker Lucas Zelarayan.
In defence, Fahd Mohammed Al-Harbi and club captain Marwane Saadane should team up at the heart of the back four, while Swedish goalkeeper Jacob Rinne should start between the sticks for the ninth straight league game.
Al Ettifaq possible starting lineup:
Victor; Khateeb, Hendry, Tisserand, Al-Oteibi; Hazazi, Wijnaldum, Henderson; Gray, Dembele, Quaison
Al Fateh possible starting lineup:
Rinne; Baattia, Saadane, Al-Harbi, Buhumaid; Bendebka, Mukhtar, Alhassan; Batna, Tello, Zelarayan
We say: Al Ettifaq 2-2 Al Fateh
Al Ettifaq and Al Fateh have put together a fine run of form in recent weeks and we anticipate an end-to-end affair at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium. While the Paragon will look to extend their winning streak in this fixture, Gerrard's men are unbeaten at home in the league this season and we see them holding out for a share of the spoils in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
