Al-Ittihad and Al Nassr will face each other on the afternoon of this Tuesday, December 26, 2023, starting at 3 pm, in a game valid for the 17th round of the Saudi Pro League. The match is scheduled to take place at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in the city of Jeddah.
Al-Ittihad
After failing in the FIFA Club World Cup and also accumulating setbacks in the Saudi Pro League itself, the Al-Ittihad team will have a very tough duel this Tuesday, aiming to surprise the oddsmakers who point to it as a big underdog even with the advantage of playing at home.
However, their most recent performances do not inspire any confidence, suffering a crushing setback to Al Ahly, from Egypt, in the quarter-finals of the World Cup and then losing by the same score of 3-1 to Al-Raed in the Saudi elite, wasting precious points at home.
There were 2 wins, no draws and 3 defeats in the last 5 official matches of the season. In the meantime, the team showed quality by beating Sepahan and Auckland City, as well as losing to Damac, Al Ahly and also Al-Raed.
The club currently occupies a discreet sixth place in the league table with 28 points achieved so far, nine less than Al-Ahli, which opens the G-3 of the competition.
Playing as home team, at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, the Al-Ittihad team has a recent record with 7 wins, 1 draw and only 2 defeats in the last 10 matches played.
Al Nassr
Al Nassr, on the other hand, has a star-studded squad and invested billions of dollars to put together a squad competitive enough to fight for significant titles in this remarkable season for Saudi fans.
Coming from two consecutive victories in the national competition, the team led by coach Luís Castro is also still alive in the AFC Champions League and has been racking up victories this season.
Their most recent duel was a 3-1 triumph over Al-Ettifaq in a resounding manner to remain in the hunt for the leader.
This is because Al Nassr currently occupies second place on the Saudi Pro League leaderboard with 40 points achieved so far, ten less than Al-Hilal, who took first place.
In their 5 most recent official matches this season, they recorded 3 wins, 1 draw and only 1 defeat. During this period they beat Al-Ettifaq, Al-Shabab and also Al-Riyadh, in addition to drawing with Istiqlol Dushanbe and losing to Al-Hilal.
As a visitor, the Al Nassr team has a recent record with 8 wins, 1 draw and only 1 defeat in the last 10 matches played in this condition.
Conclusion:
Al Nassr opened its coffers for this season in search of significant titles and has managed to present a high level of performance in all competitions, demonstrating much greater regularity than its current opponent, who has not yet managed to fit in tactically in the way they would like and has been paying a high price for this.