Al-Qadisiyah is expected to regain a number of its stars after the current suspension period, specifically the names that moved away from the team in the last rounds, and the negative impact of their absence appeared in a number of matches.
Standing on the list of these names is veteran Spanish defender Nacho Hernandez, whose absence affected the average defense of the team in a number of important matches, especially against Al-Hilal in the struggle for the top spot in the league, which Al-Qadisiyah lost at home (3-2).
The team also lost his presence as an experienced leader on the field, and this is what Irish coach Brendan Rodgers pointed out in his response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about the impact of his absence against Al Hilal, after clear defensive errors were committed that had an impact on the loss.
In addition to Nacho and his medical rehabilitation from injury, Uruguayan player Nahitan Nandez, as well as defender Jihad Zakri, whose injury caused him to be removed from the list of the first Saudi national team, which is holding a camp in the State of Qatar.
With the team having difficult matches after the upcoming hiatus period and the pressure of eligibility due to the Saudi Professional League matches coinciding with the elite AFC Champions League, Al-Qadisiyah needs the presence of these names in order to help it in its local journey in the league championship, as it is in second place behind Al-Hilal, and ahead of Al-Nasr III on goal difference.
Perhaps the next confrontation with Al-Nasr, scheduled for next December 4, represents one of the most important matches that the team’s supporters are anticipating in order to break the partnership with Al-Nasr on the points tally, or even advance again in the positions, although that match will be preceded by a number of matches for each team.
With a quick glance at Al-Qadisiyah’s matches against Al-Nasr since Al-Qadisiyah’s return to the professional league, it appears that it is the only one that outperformed Al-Nassr in the four regular matches in the past two seasons, whether in Riyadh or Dammam, to record a clear superiority and moral motivation that the team seeks to maintain.
It is likely that Nacho's return will be against Al-Fayhaa on November 27, that is, the match that precedes the regular confrontation with Al-Nasr, while it seems that Nandez's return will be delayed a little.
Al-Qadisiyah’s benefits this season will be on several levels: It is competing in the League Championship and the Asian Elite Champions Championship, as well as the Saudi Super Cup scheduled to be held in Kuwait starting next December 18, in addition to continuing in the King’s Cup Championship, as it is the only team among the teams in the Eastern Region that competes in all four of these competitions.
In terms of other injuries, defender Walid Al-Ahmad is likely to return to group training next December after completing the treatment stages of the cruciate ligament injury that he suffered against Al-Ahly, in mid-March, in the league matches of last season, where he spent nearly 8 months in the treatment stages.
Princess Al-Jawhara bint Saad bin Faisal apologized for continuing in the race for the presidency of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Tennis Federation, after learning that the next electoral cycle would be for only two years, ending in 2028, instead of 2030.
Informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Dr. Saleh Al-Arifi is preparing to succeed Princess Al-Jawhara as head of the same list, provided that he officially submits his candidacy file on Thursday, while keeping the names included in the previous list, with the exception of changing the presidential candidate.
On Tuesday, Princess Al-Jawhara submitted her list to run for the presidency of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Tennis Federation, competing against Mohammed Al-Meshal and Dr. Nasser Abdullah Mahdi, in a race that is expected to be decided during the electoral general assembly scheduled for November 30.
Its list included 10 candidates, led by Princess Al-Jawhara, presidential candidate, and Abdul Rahman Abdullah Al-Dayel, vice-president, along with eight candidates for membership in the Board of Directors, namely Abdul Rahman Al-Salama in the Paralympic specialization, Dr. Saad Al-Saqabi in the technical specialization, Dr. Omar Al-Saeed in the legal specialization, Dr. Saleh Al-Arifi in the administrative specialization, Nouf Al-Hamdi and Mishari Al-Harf in the financial specialization, Abdul Rahman Al-Habi and engineer Noura. Al-Mousa in the technical specialty.
The door for receiving candidacy applications is scheduled to close on Thursday, in preparation for completing the electoral procedures before the General Assembly convenes on November 30.
