The curtain falls on Wednesday on the sixth round of the Saudi Professional League with three matches, led by Al-Nasr and Abha, where the Al-Asmi team is looking for a quick recovery after its first stumble this season, and taking advantage of the fall of the leaders Al-Hilal to reduce the gap with them, while Al-Fateh welcomes its counterpart Al-Diriyah in Al-Ahsa in a confrontation that brings together two teams looking to restore balance, and Al-Shabab is the guest of Al-Khuloud in Al-Rass and is still chasing its first victory.
Al-Nasr returns to Al-Awal Park Stadium after its perfect start in the last round was interrupted by a loss to Al-Ittihad 1-2, which is the team’s first this season after a series of successive victories under the leadership of Australian Postecoglou.
Despite the loss, the results of the current round gave Al-Nasr a valuable opportunity to reduce the gap with Al-Hilal, after the leader, who has 15 points, faltered, making the victory over Abha sufficient to raise the yellow team’s score to 15 points and quickly return it to the heart of the struggle for the lead.
Therefore, facing Abha seems to be an opportunity that Al-Nasr does not want to waste, not only to capitalize on its competitor’s stumble, but also to show a quick reaction after its first loss, especially since the star-studded team had made a strong start before its series of victories stopped against Al-Ittihad.
Al-Nasr has 12 points from five matches, and is looking for its fifth victory in the league, against a competitor who is experiencing difficult circumstances and is at the bottom of the table.
Abha has not succeeded in achieving any victory since its return to the Saudi Professional League, as it was satisfied with one draw and four losses, collecting only one point and occupying last place before the start of Wednesday’s matches. His last loss to Al-Ettifaq came in a clean double, making his position more difficult, while the test becomes more complicated this time against Al-Nasr, which enters the confrontation driven by its desire to compensate and quickly return to the path of victories.
In Al-Ahsa, Al-Fateh receives its counterpart Al-Diriyah in a match that represents great importance for both parties, as the home side is still searching for its first victory, while the visitors are trying to overcome their recent loss to Al-Qadisiyah.
Al-Fateh, led by the national team, Khaled Al-Atawi, is going through a difficult start this season, as it did not succeed in achieving victory in five rounds, and was satisfied with three draws versus two losses, collecting 3 points that placed it in sixteenth place.
As the rounds progressed, Al-Fateh became more in need of converting some of its improved levels into actual results, as the continued absence of victories would put the team under great pressure in the late positions.
But Al-Fateh's mission will not be easy for Al-Diriyah, which, despite losing to Al-Qadisiyah by two clean goals in the last round, showed during the first weeks that it possesses many solutions and names capable of making a difference.
Al-Diriyah has seven points, occupying ninth place before the start of the round’s competitions, and is looking forward to shaking off the dust of the recent loss and returning to the path it appeared on before that, especially after its new deals began to clearly leave their mark.
In Al-Rass, Al-Khuloud receives its counterpart Al-Shabab in a seemingly disparate confrontation between a team that has made a remarkable start for itself and another that has not yet found its way to victory.
Al-Khuloud continues to present itself in a distinguished way this season, as it collected 9 points that placed it in seventh place, and its last appearance was in a 2-2 draw against Al-Fayhaa in the last round.
Since the beginning of the season, Al-Khuloud has shown its ability to compete and produce positive results against various opponents, becoming one of the teams that imposed its presence early, and is looking forward to investing in facing Al-Shabab to strengthen its score and continue approaching the leading positions.
On the other hand, Al-Shabab arrives at Al-Ras amid great pressure after five rounds have passed without the team achieving any victory. Al-Shabab suffered its second loss this season against Al-Hilal with a clean double in the last round, freezing its score at 3 points and falling to fifteenth place, in a start completely far from the team’s aspirations.
Achieving the first victory has become an urgent requirement for the youth to stop the loss of points and stay away from the late positions, but the task will not be easy for Al-Khouloud, who is in a better technical and moral state, and in turn aspires to continue his remarkable progress.
Portuguese Domingos Suarez, CEO of Al-Ittihad Club, confirmed that they succeeded in covering the needs requested by coach Jens Vissing during the summer transfer period, indicating that the technical staff was looking for players who had flexibility and the ability to play in more than one position and in different styles.
Speaking to the media, Suarez said: It was very important for us to close the transfer period after working to cover the needs requested by the coach, and we are also happy with the selection of five Al-Ittihad players to represent the Saudi national team.
The Federation's CEO explained that Vissing's vision in the transfer market was not limited to signing a winger with traditional specifications, and he said: The coach did not ask for players to play in the wing position only, but rather he wanted players who could play in more than one position, as well as adapt to different styles, and as you saw today what George presented, and this is important for us.
He added: Now that the market is closed, I would like to thank everyone for the work that was done, and I also thank Al-Ittihad fans for their support and backing of the team.
Suarez pointed out that there is a clear difference within the team compared to last season, saying: The spirit that we see today in training, matches and the locker room is completely different from what it was last season. There is great chemistry and a real desire to compete.
The Federation’s CEO concluded his speech by emphasizing the team’s ambitions during the current season, and said: We will fight with all force for all titles this season, and we always strive to represent the Federation’s spirit on and off the field.
