Al-Nassr will look to make it six straight league wins when they take on Al-Khaleej on Saturday in the upcoming 29th round of the Saudi Pro League.
Al-Khaleej will host Al-Nassr at Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in a crucial clash in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday evening. The hosts are sitting firmly in the middle of the table in the Saudi Pro League standings, but they have been much improved of late.
Their 1-1 draw over Al-Taawoun last week means they have now suffered just one defeat in their last eight games and are currently placed in 10th place in the table with 35 points. Al-Khaleej will be looking to finish the season strongly, but they face an uphill task against Al-Nassr.
Luis Castro’s side remain some way off Al-Hilal at the top of the-table. But their 3-1 thrashing of Al-Fayha last week extended their winning streak to five matches. They will look to continue plugging away, win the rest of the matches, and put pressure on Al-Hilal.
Team News & Tactics
Al-Khaleej
Al-Khaleej manager Pedro Emanuel will enter this game without any serious injury concerns. Lisandro Lopez, Mohammed Al-Khabrani, and Abdulelah Hawsawi are at risk of suspension.
Otherwise, manager Pedro Emanuel has a fully-fit squad at his disposal and could name a similar starting XI to the one that started on Thursday, with Naif Masoud and Mohammed Al-Khabrani forming the centre-back pairing in front of goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic.
Pedro Rebocho and Saeed Al-Hamsal will be the two full-backs, who will have to gear up for a stern challenge against their much superior counterparts in this Al-Nassr attack. Joint top-scorer Fabio Martins should join goalscoring partner Khaled Narey, who has seven goals to his name this season, and striker Mohamed Sherif upfront for this one.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Sehic; Al-Hamsal, Al-Khabrani, Masoud, Rebocho; Hamzi, Jung, Rodrigues; Narey, Sherif, Martins
Al-Nassr
Al-Nassr will be without the services of their marquee star, Cristiano Ronaldo, who remains suspended for this tie. Anderson Talisca has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a thigh injury.
Nawaf Al-Aqidi will be able to return from his suspension for the weekend away clash, but David Ospina will keep his place between the sticks. The Colombian international shot-stopper will have Abdulelah Al-Amri, Aymeric Laporte, and Mohammed Al-Fatil protecting him from any kind of danger.
Sultan Al-Ghanam will likely continue at right wing-back, with Alex Telles manning the other flank. Marcelo Brozovic is essentially Al-Nassr’s go-to man in possession and will line up alongside Abdullah Al-Khaibari. Ronaldo’s absence will likely mean that Abdulrahman Ghareeb will return to the starting 11, and he will join the three-man front line alongside Otavio and Sadio Mane.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Ospina; Alamri, Laporte, Fatil; Telles, Brozovic, Khaibari, Ghanam; Ghareeb, Otavio; Mane
Key Stats
- Al-Nassr have lost just one of their last five Saudi Pro League games against Al-Khaleej.
- Al-Khaleej average 1.33 goals at home, while Al-Nassr scores 2.48 goals when playing away.
- The two sides have faced off only nine times, in which Al-Nassr have won five matches and Al-Khaleej have managed only one. The other three matches ended in a draw.
- Al-Nassr are enjoying a record of five consecutive league games.
Player to Watch
Fabio Martins
The Portuguese winger has been the standout performer for Al-Khaleej, with 12 goal involvements from 25 league matches. Known for his goal-scoring prowess and dribbling, he quite often drops his shoulder to beat his opponents and, with his pace, enters the opposition box to create goal-scoring chances. He is the one big threat Al-Nassr should watch out for.
Prediction
Al-Khaleej 0-3 Al-Nassr
While Al-Khaleej will be looking to end their campaign on a high, next up are a spirited Al-Nassr, who are currently firing on all cylinders in the league. Luis Castro’s men have run riot at the attacking end of the pitch, scoring 17 goals in their last four league games, and we see them running riot against the visitors, who have struggled for consistency this season.
