Al-Qadisiyah is looking to take the top spot in the Saudi Professional League “temporarily,” when it hosts its counterpart, Abha, on Friday evening, at Prince Muhammad bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam, as part of the ninth round of competitions, facing a gathering of two teams with different ambitions in the ranking table.
Al-Qadisiyah enters the confrontation in second place with 19 points, two points behind Al-Hilal, which leads with 21 points, as the opportunity appears favorable for the Al-Sharqawi team to seize the lead if it achieves victory, taking advantage of Al-Hilal’s absence from this round’s competitions, after its confrontation with Riyadh was postponed.
Al-Qadisiyah is going through a distinguished period in terms of its local results, after achieving a broad victory over Al-Khuloud with five goals to no return in the last round, confirming its ability to compete in the advanced positions, and to continue to put pressure on Al-Hilal in the race for leadership.
The team returns to local competitions after tying away from home with Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan, with a score of 1-1, in the elite AFC Champions League competitions, in a confrontation that Al-Qadisiyah was close to deciding in its favor, before conceding the equalizer from a penalty kick in the final minutes.
Al-Qadisiyah, under the leadership of its Northern Irish coach, Brendan Rodgers, is looking forward to quickly overcoming the effects of the Asian draw and regaining the tone of victories, benefiting from the technical superiority enjoyed by the team, along with the ground staff and the audience.
Rodgers is counting on a group of prominent names that contributed to the team’s positive results, led by Mexican Julián Quiñones, Italian striker Matteo Retegui, and Dutchman Tijani Reynders, in addition to the Saudi duo Musab Al-Jawir and Muhammad Abu Al-Shamat.
These options give the coach the ability to diversify offensive solutions, whether through movements deep into the opponent’s defense or investing in spaces on the flanks, especially since Al-Qadisiyah showed great offensive effectiveness during its last match in the league against Al-Khuloud.
Despite the technical and ranking differences that favor the hosts, Rodgers realizes the importance of dealing with the confrontation with caution, and avoiding wasting opportunities, especially after the recent Asian draw, which revealed the team’s need to settle matches early and not give the competitors the opportunity to return.
On the other hand, Abha returns to the competition atmosphere after its absence from the last round, following the postponement of its match against Al-Faisaly, amid hopes that the pause period has given the team an opportunity to rearrange its cards and address the mistakes that have plagued it since the beginning of the season.
Abha is in last place with two points, after being unable to achieve any victory during its previous seven matches, finding itself facing a difficult challenge against one of the most prominent teams competing for the top of the league.
Abha had ended its campaign before the break with a goalless draw against Al-Diriyah, a result that stopped a series of stumbles, but it was not enough to cause a tangible shift in its position in the standings.
The team realizes that continuing to settle for draws will not help it move away from the bottom of the standings, which makes it required to achieve a positive result that will restore confidence to its players and give it a morale boost before continuing its journey in the next rounds.
The defensive organization will be one of the most prominent challenges facing Abha, in light of the attacking power possessed by Al-Qadisiyah, while the team needs to invest in the few opportunities it may have against the hosts, if it wants to achieve a positive result.
The confrontation carries double importance for both parties. Al-Qadisiyah is looking for three points that might give it the top spot in the standings and confirm its seriousness in competing for the title, while Abha clings to the hope of achieving a surprise that will end its drought of victories and give it a different start after the break.
