Two sides with contrasting Saudi Pro League ambitions will meet this weekend when Al-Nassr take on Al Tai at Al Awal Park at King Saud University on Saturday evening.
The hosts are currently in second place in the league standings with 56 points after 24 games, while the visitors are on 22 points and are the first side below the dotted line.
Match preview
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As we head into the final 10 games of the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League season, time is running thin for Al-Nassr to reel in the runaway league leaders Al-Hilal, who are still unbeaten so far this term.
Barring a total collapse by the Blue Waves from here on, Al-Alami look destined to finish as runners-up for a second consecutive season, with the gap between themselves and the leaders currently at 12 points.
Luis Castro's side bounced back from their AFC Champions League disappointment earlier in the month with a crucial 1-0 win over Al-Ahli last time out, which saw them avoid going a third consecutive league match without victory following a 4-4 draw to Al Hazem and a 3-1 defeat against Al Raed.
Cristiano Ronaldo reached the landmark of his 50th goal for the Knights of Najd, scoring the winner in the last match, once again showing his composure from the penalty spot to find the net in the 68th minute.
Nassr will now look to continue building momentum heading into the run-in and will expect nothing less than three points from this match, having beaten this opponent in each of their last four encounters, including a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in September.
Meanwhile, after finishing sixth in 2021-22 and ninth last term, Al Tai are in real danger of heading back down to the Saudi First Division League this season unless they can string together a solid run of results over the final 10 league games of the campaign.
The Knight of The North have managed just six wins in 24 games this season, along with four draws and 14 losses, leaving them two points behind Al-Riyadh, who are the first side above the drop zone at the moment.
However, Laurentiu Reghecampf's side have shown signs of improvement lately, having held Al Ettifaq to a draw in their last match and overcoming Al Hazem 1-0 before that, marking the first time they have gone unbeaten in two consecutive league games since the end of October last year.
On the road, though, the visitors have only managed five points from a possible 36 this season and are winless in their last four outings, including three losses and a draw. They also failed to score a single goal in any of the defeats during that time.
Team News
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David Ospina has now started the last two league matches in goal for Al Nassr following his return from injury and should keep his place between the sticks for this match, with Nawaf Al-Aqidi suspended for the next four months and Waleed Abdullah currently on the treatment table.
The likes of Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, Ronaldo and Otavio all played in midweek for their respective national teams and Castro will have to assess their fitness and energy levels ahead of this match.
Talisca has missed the last four games in all competitions for the hosts due to a muscle injury and is still a few weeks away from returning to first-team action.
Al Tai have no major injury concerns to contend with in this match and it will come as no surprise if Reghecampf retains the same starting 11 that held Al Ettifaq to a draw before the mini-break.
Ghanaian midfielder Bernard Mensah is the side's top scorer this season with 10 goals and should team up with Alfa Semedo in the engine room, while Virgil Misidjan bagged his third of the season last time out and should lead the line again in this one.
Al-Nassr possible starting lineup:
Ospina; Yahya, Alawjami, Laporte, Telles; Otavio, Brozovic; Ghareeb, Al-Najei, Mane; Ronaldo
Al Tai possible starting lineup:
Al Bagawi; Al Nakhli, Bauer, Roco, Aljohani; Semedo, Mensah, Cordea, Al-Shamlan, Al-Moasher; Misidjan
We say: Al-Nassr 2-0 Al Tai
While closing the gap to the league leaders seems unlikely considering Al-Hilal's dominance this season, Al Nassr still have some work to do to secure their spot in next season's AFC Champions League and will see this as an excellent opportunity to pick up another three points against a side that has been languishing near the bottom of the table for the majority of the campaign.
Al Tai have shown signs of improvement lately, but we feel they will be no match for the Knights of Najd in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
