Al-Ittihad find themselves in unfamiliar territory after their brilliant last season. The Defending Champions of the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) are placed in 8th position, one rung below Al-Khaleej. Both teams tied at 10 points each, with Al-Khaleej having a better goal difference.
Pushed out of the top 4 is a concern for Al-Ittihad, and the Jeddah-based club would be gunning to improve their position. A win is a must for them to make good headway.
Al-Ittihad, however, produced a terrific performance led by veteran Karim Benzema against arch rivals Al-Nassr in the King’s Cup a few days ago. The 2-1 victory was indeed a great boost for Al-Ittihad as Al-Nassr were in great form and favourites to win. But a determined Al-Ittihad held sway and dumped Al-Nassr out of the competition.
The win over Al-Nassr would have given huge confidence to Al-Ittihad, and though Al-Khaleej are no pushovers, the Eagles will find it difficult to tame Al-Ittihad.
Al-Khaleej too are coming from a morale-boosting win over Al-Taawoun in the King’s Cup, winning a nervy penalty shootout to progress in the competition. Joshua King, the Eagles’ Norwegian striker and his partners in crime, Masouras and Fortounis, actually hold the key, but Al-Ittihad have the edge and shall be favourites to win this one.
A 2-0 win in favour of Al-Ittihad is what I expect.
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