On Saturday, all eyes will turn towards the “Radiant Jewel” Stadium in Jeddah, where Al-Nasr will host Al-Ittihad at the summit of the fifth round of the Saudi Professional League, which is considered an “early classic” between two teams that have not yet known a loss, but it carries double importance for the guests seeking to protect the full mark and not give up any point in the race for leadership, while Al-Ittihad is armed with the ground and the audience. In search of stopping the victory movement and returning to the path of victories.
Al-Nasr enters the summit as a partner at the top of the standings before the start of the round’s competitions, after collecting the full score (12 points) from 4 matches, in an ideal start to the work provided by the Australian Postecoglou since taking over the leadership of the team.
Al-Nasr’s wonderful start was not limited to the league competitions, as it succeeded in winning all its official matches so far, and qualified for the round of 16 of the King’s Cup, after beating Diriyah, in addition to its 4 consecutive victories in the league, the last of which was against Al-Taawoun with a score of 2-1.
Al-Nasr aspires to leave Jeddah with 3 points and continue its journey without faltering, especially since any neglect of points, even a draw, may cost it away from the lead in light of the closeness of the competition at the beginning of the season.
Attacking solidity appears to be one of the most prominent weapons on which victory depends, but the Al-Ittihad test will be different in nature, especially since the home owners have not suffered any loss so far.
Al-Ittihad has 8 points from 4 matches, coming from two victories and two draws, but it enters the confrontation looking for compensation after losing two points in the last round with a goalless draw against Al-Fateh.
German Jens Vissing, Al-Ittihad's coach, realizes that facing Al-Nasr requires a different appearance on the offensive level after failing to reach the net in the last match, while the team is counting on the ground staff and the audience to stop its rival's winning streak and achieve a victory that would bring it closer to the leading teams.
Al-Ittihad strengthened its options before the summit by contracting with Colombian Richard Royce, who arrived in Jeddah on Thursday evening, while the possibility of his participation against Al-Nasr remains dependent on the extent of his readiness and the decision of coach Vissing.
The summit holds intense competition, even with Al-Ittihad’s performance declining so far, but the crowd atmosphere accompanying the match gives it greater competitiveness, while Al-Nasr has brilliant names on the offensive side, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, Koeman, Sadio Mane, and Joao Felix.
In Buraidah, 3 points appear to be an urgent demand when Al-Taawoun hosts its counterpart Al-Fateh, facing a combination of two teams that have not tasted victory yet.
Al-Taawoun continues its modest appearance, far from the image it was known for in previous seasons, as it played 4 matches, drawing two and losing two, to collect only two points and occupy 15th place before the start of the round’s competitions.
Serbian Zarko Lazetic is faced with the need to find solutions that will return his team to the path of victories, especially since the continued bleeding of points will double the pressure after a start that did not match the team’s ambitions.
The confrontation gains additional importance for cooperation before the break, in light of his commitment this season to participating in the “AFC Champions League 2”, a tournament for which he has great ambitions after reaching the semi-finals in his previous participation.
On the other hand, the circumstances of Al-Fateh do not differ much, as the team of Saudi coach Khaled Al-Atwi enters the match with two points as well, after drawing twice and suffering two losses during the first 4 rounds.
But Al-Fateh arrives at Buraidah in a relatively better way after the level it showed against Al-Ittihad in the last round, when it succeeded in coming away with a goalless draw, benefiting from the remarkable brilliance of its Croatian goalkeeper Adrian Schemper.
Al-Atawi hopes that the improvement shown against Al-Ittihad will be translated into a first victory, especially since the 3 points will give his team a great morale boost and keep it away from the bottom positions before the break.
In Al Majmaah, Al-Faisaly receives its counterpart Al-Hazm in another confrontation that carries with it an important struggle for points, especially for the landowners who are still searching for their first victory.
Al-Faisaly's start was not as he had hoped, as he played 4 matches during which he suffered 3 defeats and one draw, and found himself early among the teams at the bottom of the standings.
Victory has become an important requirement for Al-Faisaly in order to stop the loss of points and get out of the troubled start, but his task will not be easy for Al-Hazm, which in turn is looking to restore the winning tone.
Al-Hazm has 4 points, and enters the confrontation after losing to a 1-1 draw against Al-Shabab in the last round, and is looking forward to returning from Al-Majmaa with a positive result that strengthens its position in the standings.
