Fresh off the back of suffering their first AFC Champions League defeat of the season, Al Ittihad play host to Abha in round 13 of the Saudi Professional League on Friday.
Having lost each of the last five meetings between the teams, the Leaders of the South will make the trip to the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium looking to get one over the hosts and move into the top half of the table.
Match preview
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Al Ittihad suffered consecutive defeats for the first time since May 2022 as they were beaten 2-0 by Iraq-based outfit Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in the AFC Champions League clash on Monday.
The Tigers were guilty of a toothless display at the Franso Hariri Stadium as Ali Jasim Elaibi and 30-year-old Mohanad Abdulraheem scored in either half to hand the home side their second win in Group C.
This served as the final nail in the coffin for head coach Nuno Espirito Santo, who was relieved of his role in charge of the Jehah-based outfit in the wake of the defeat, one year and four months after his appointment.
While the Portuguese manager did steer the Al Ittihad to the Professional League title last season, their first in over a decade, there were reports of a strained relationship with star signing and former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.
A run of just two wins and three defeats — including a 1-0 loss against Al Shabab in their most recent league involvement — in eight matches across all competitions also did not help his case, despite their 2023 Club World Cup opener against Auckland City being just a little above one month away.
Al Ittihad now return to action in the Professional League, where they are without a win in five consecutive outings, picking up three draws and losing twice since a 2-1 victory over Al-Fateh on September 21.
Having won six of their opening seven matches preceding that run, the Tigers' drop-off in form has been owing to their struggles in attack, where they have scored three goals and failed to find the back of the net in three league outings since September's victory over Al-Fateh.
For all their recent struggles, Al Ittihad sit sixth in the Professional League table, four points behind third-placed Al-Taawoun, and have picked up nine points from four Champions League games to lead the way in Group C, two points above second-placed Sepahan.
Abha, on the other hand, continued their surge into the top half of the Professional League standings last weekend when they came from behind to claim a 3-2 victory over Al Okhdood at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium.
Goals from Andrei Burca and Musleh Al Shaikh cancelled out Grzegorz Krychowiak's 20th-minute opener to hand the visitors a half-time lead but Solomon Kvirkvelia netted an own goal to restore parity in the 59th minute before Karl Toko Ekambi grabbed his fourth league goal of the season to complete the comeback.
Prior to that, Abha booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the King's Cup on October 31, when they stunned Al-Ahli to a 2-1 victory in Jeddah courtesy of goals from Ahmed Abdu and Ekambi.
The Leaders of the South have now picked up three wins on the bounce across all competitions — scoring seven goals and conceding four — having managed three wins in their previous 11 matches to start the season.
With 13 points from 12 matches, Youssef Manai's men are currently 12th in the Professional League table, five points above the bottom three, and could move level with eighth-placed Al-Wehda with all three points this weekend.
While Abha will look to make it four wins on the trot for the first time since last December, they will need to show their mettle against an Al Ittihad side who have won each of their previous five meetings, scoring 18 goals and conceding three since a 1-0 loss in January 2021.
Team News
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Following Espirito Santo's departure, assistant coach Hassan Khalifa will take charge in the dugout this weekend and the 55-year-old will be looking to begin his Al Ittihad record on a winning note.
On the injury front, the Tigers remain without former West Bromwich Albion defender Ahmed Hegazy, who has been sidelined since suffering a cruciate ligament rupture back in May.
Former Al-Hilal goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Jadani also continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines through an ACL injury picked up in May, while Ahmed Bamasud is a doubt after coming off injured in Monday's Champions League game.
With his winner against Al-Okhdood, Ekambi now has six goal involvements in 10 matches since his summer move from Lyon and we expect the 31-year-old to lead Abha's attack once again.
Abdu and winger Fahad Bin Jumayah should offer support in the final third, while we expect Zakaria Al-Sudani and former Paris Saint-Germain man Krychowiak to retain their roles at the centre of the park.
Saleh Al Qumayzi was forced off with a game-ending injury shortly after the half-hour mark against Al-Okhdood last time out and the veteran right-back is out of contention for this weekend's tie.
Al Ittihad possible starting lineup:
Al-Mayouf; Al-Hawsawi, Kadesh, Hawsawi, Al-Olayan; Al-Ghamdi, Kante, Romarinho; Jota, Benzema, Camara
Abha possible starting lineup:
Tätärusanu; Al-Hbeab; Natiq, Noguera, Oufi; Al-Sudani, Krychowiak; Bguir; Jumayah, Ekambi, Abdu
We say: Al Ittihad 2-1 Abha
While a run of five wins in their last five games against Abha should give a floundering Al-Ittihad side the needed confidence boost heading into the weekend, they should expect a fight from the visitors, who have hit their stride after a slow start to the season. However, the Tigers boast the firepower needed to get the job done and we fancy them to come out on top once again.
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