The latest mouthwatering item on the Saudi Pro League menu is a heavyweight showdown between Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and Karim Benzema’s Al-Ittihad, who lock horns on Tuesday at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.
Al-Nassr will hope to close the gap to Al-Hilal atop the Saudi Pro League when they make the trip to Jeddah to take on Al-Ittihad on on Tuesday evening.
If it was not evident before, defending champions Al-Ittihad officially dropped out of the title race after losing 3-1 at home to Al-Raed last Saturday. The loss, a second successive setback in the Saudi Pro League, leaves the Tigers a whopping 22 points behind table-toppers Al-Hilal, and their game in hand is not going to make much of a difference.
This latest mishap caps a terrible week for the Jeddah giants, who were eliminated from the FIFA Club World Cup quarter-finals after a 3-1 loss on home soil against Egypt’s Al-Ahly.
Al-Nassr, meanwhile, beat Al-Ettifaq 3-1 on Friday to move back to within ten points of leaders Al-Hilal. And for once, the headlines did not belong to Cristiano Ronaldo or Anderson Talisca, as Alex Telles got the ball rolling with a stunning 30-yard volley in the first half. Marcelo Brozovic added a second early in the second half before Cristiano Ronaldo bagged one for himself from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute.
This game could have massive ramifications on the Saudi Pro League points table. A win for Al-Nassr will see them close the gap to table-toppers Al-Hilal. With the stage set for a high-octane clash, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top between the two heavyweights. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Al-Ittihad
Al-Ittihad will be without the services of Madallah Alolayan, who was sent off in the 12th minute this past weekend. Omar Hawsawi and Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti are both out with long-term injuries.
To add more to manager Marcelo Gallardo’s concerns, the team will be missing their first-choice defenders, Al-Shanqeeti, Luiz Felipe, Suwailem Al-Manhali, and Ahmed Bamsaud. Abdullah Al-Mayouf is likely to remain in between the sticks for Marcelo Gallardo’s side, with Abdullah Al-Jadani unlikely to recover before early January.
After seeing his side capitulate to a 3-1 loss to Al-Raed, Gallardo could be tempted to shuffle his starting lineup. But the lack of rotation options and a full-blown defensive injury crisis would see former Liverpool defensive midfielder Fabinho operating as a makeshift centre-back.
The experienced Karim Benzema will continue to lead the line, having scored six times in his last seven matches for Al-Ittihad across all competitions. Alongside Abderrazak Hamdallah, who has scored eight league goals so far, they should again do the heavy lifting in attack.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Al-Mayouf; Al-Sahafi, Felipe, Fabinho, Bamsaud; Kante, Al-Farhan; Romarinho, Al-Ghamdi, Hamdallah; Benzema
Al-Nassr
Luis Castro will probably have most of his squad at his disposal for the clash against the defending champions. David Ospina featured for the Colombian national team recently against Mexico. But he is yet to be registered for the side and will remain unavailable for selection.
Nawaf Boushal missed the game against Al-Ettifaq last Friday and may have to sit out again to make way for Alex Telles, who marked his return from a muscle injury with a stunning strike in the previous fixture.
Alex Telles has had a fine season since signing from Manchester United in the summer. But few expected him to produce a goal of the season contender against Al-Ettifaq last week, as the Brazilian full-back fired a spectacular volley that flew into the top corner of the net to give his compatriot Paulo Victor no chance.
The Al-Nassr attack is firing on all cylinders, with all their top names finding the back of the net in the past few games. Cristiano Ronaldo has led the charge from the front for the Knights of Najd and will continue to do so against Al-Ittihad.
The 38-year-old is leading the goal-scoring charts in the Saudi top flight this season, showing that he still has what it takes to operate as one of the best at the highest level of competition. Sadio Mane and Anderson Talisca are both fit and will join Ronaldo in a lethal front three.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Al-Aqidi; Al-Ghannam, Lajami, Laporte, Telles; Brozovic, Fofana; Talisca, Otavio, Mane; Ronaldo
Key Stats
- Al-Ittihad are unbeaten in their last six competitive games at home against Al-Nassr, winning the last three domestic home meetings against them by a combined score of 7-1.
- Al-Nassr are the second-best team away from home this season, having collected 18 points from eight road assignments.
- The hosts’ record is just two wins in their last 10 Saudi Pro League games.
- The visitors have won three matches in a row in the Saudi Pro League.
- The Knights of Najd have not kept a clean sheet in eight away matches, with seven of those seeing both teams score.
Player to Watch
Cristiano Ronaldo
Who else? It is always him, and it will always be him attracting the eyeballs. Ronaldo got goal No. 17 to return to the top of the scoring standings last time out, slotting a penalty into the bottom corner. His goalscoring record is even more impressive when you consider his age. The 38-year-old has now netted 51 goals and provided 15 assists in all competitions for club and country in 2023.
Prediction
Al-Ittihad 0-2 Al-Nassr
Things are not looking pretty for Al-Ittihad right now when taking into account their horrendous form. So, this could be an ideal time for Al-Nassr to play the Tigers. Although there is a plethora of attacking qualities on both sides, the Cristiano Ronaldo-led, in-form Al-Nassr attack should be in a pole position to take advantage and will look to get on top of their opponents early on and pile further misery on the hosts.