Off the back of a bump in the road last time out, Saudi Pro League leaders Al Ittihad will continue their title chase when they take on Al Okhdood at King Abdullah Sports City on Sunday.
Following a 2-1 win in October's reverse fixture, the home side will now set out to complete a second consecutive league double over their visitors since they gained top-flight promotion.
Match preview
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After comprehensively beating Al-Hilal 4-1 to open up a seven-point advantage at the summit, Al Ittihad looked set to run away with the league title but have opened the door for their nearest challengers following a 1-1 draw against Al Khaleej on Wednesday.
Just over 24 hours on from Al-Hilal's 5-1 triumph over Al Kholood, Al Ittihad sought to restore the full complement of their advantage at the top with a visit to the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, where they were held to a share of the spoils.
Laurent Blanc's men looked set to come away with maximum points thanks to Abdulrahman Al Obud's opener 12 minutes from time which was cancelled out in stoppage time by a Konstantinos Fortounis penalty.
That snapped a four-game winning run for Amid Al-Andiyah, who still remain without a clean sheet in 11 games across all competitions since the turn of the year after ending 2024 with six clean sheets from their final eight outings.
Despite their recent defensive maladies, Al-Ittihad have remained sharp in front of goal, netting a whopping 15 goals in five matches this month, at least two more than every other team during the span.
Having narrowly escaped relegation in their debut top-flight campaign last time out, Al Okhdood were always going to be one of the prime candidates to be involved in a battle for survival this time around, and things have panned out that way.
Stjepan Tomas's men managed just one point from their first four matches before finally opening their account for the season with a stunning 4-2 comeback triumph over Al Fateh on September 28.
However, the Ambassadors of Najran have flattered to deceive since then, picking up just 12 of the subsequent 51 points available to sit bottom but one in the standings, three points adrift of safety.
With 12 matches still left to play, Al Okhdood have more than enough time to save themselves, but their output at the top end of the pitch must improve given their tally of just one goal scored across the last five matches.
On a weekend that could potentially see them leave the bottom three, Sunday's visitors will need to be at their absolute best to stand any chance of avoiding defeat against this weekend's opponents for the first time ever.
Team News
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Al Ittihad's Steven Bergwijn is set to miss out for a second consecutive game after the winger sustained some injuries due to a fall inside his home.
Abdulelah Al Amri is also unavailable for the home side due to a muscle problem, which will keep the defender out for the best part of the next month.
Knowledge Musona was on target on his return to the lineup for Al Okhdood, and the Zimbabwe international is expected to retain his starting berth.
Since returning from a suspension, Hussain Al Zabdani has had to settle for back-to-back second-half cameos but could be recalled to the XI here.
Al Ittihad possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Kadesh, Pereira, Al-Mousa, Shanqeeti; Fabinho, Kante; Al Obud, Hawsawi, Diaby; Benzema
Al Okhdood possible starting lineup:
Vitor; Khamis, Lowe, Al Rubaie, Al Qaydhi; Petros, Pedroza; Bassogog, Musona, Al Zubaidi; Pato
We say: Al Ittihad 3-0 Al Okhdood
Having seen their lead at the top reduce following Wednesday's draw, Al Ittihad know anything but a victory would be less than ideal this weekend.
We fully expect the home side to have no problems seeing off their visitors and claiming a comfortable win in the end.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adepoju Marvellous
