Al Ettifaq will take on Al Riyadh in the Saudi Pro League at the Al Ettifaq Club Stadium on Saturday, with both sides in need of a positive result, albeit for different reasons.
With hopes of continental qualification now gone, the hosts' primary goal will be to keep up with the top five until the end of the season, while the visitors' main focus will be avoiding the drop.
Match preview
© Reuters
Al Ettifaq head into this contest following what turned out to be a costly 1-0 loss away to Al Fateh in midweek, as that result not only saw them leapfrogged by Al-Namothaji in the league standings but also officially brought an end to their slim hopes of finishing in the AFC Champions League spots.
Former Columbus Crew attacker Lucas Zelarayan scored the only goal of the match in the 80th minute last time out at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium, and The Knight of Ad-Dahna never really looked likely to equalise in the final knockings, failing to muster a single shot on target across the 90.
With that, Steven Gerrard's side saw the gap to the top two widen to 26 points with just eight games left to play (possible 24 points at most) and are far from assured of even a top-half finish this season with just four points separating them from 10th-placed Al Fayha heading into gameweek 27.
The Commandos are now winless in their last three league games, following back-to-back draws against Al Tai (1-1) and Al Ahli (2-2), and have only secured one victory on home soil in their last eight (W1 D4 L3), which came against relegation contenders Abha at the start of last month.
While Al Ettifaq are currently showing up as the bookmakers' favourite for this match, it was the visitors that emerged as 1-0 winners in the reverse fixture back in October, with Khalid Al-Shuwayyi scoring the only goal of the match.
In midweek, Al-Shuwayyi was the lone goal scorer against Al Shabab as well, but unfortunately for the left-back, it was into his own net, which ultimately led to his side's current winless run being extended to four games in a row, including draws against Al Fayha and Abha and a loss to Al-Hilal.
However, while RIY failed to claim the points on the day, they did get a slice of luck, with each of the bottom six sides also failing to win their last match, which left the bottom of the table unchanged and kept them three points above Al Tai, who are the first side below the dotted line.
One of the major issues that Odair Hellmann will have to address if his side are to avoid returning to the Saudi First Division League will be their lack of attacking output, with the 1-0 loss in midweek marking the eighth time his side failed to find the target this term, while across the division, their 23-goal tally ranks second worst, only one more than Al Akhdoud's 22.
On the road this season, Al Riyadh have taken 11 points from a possible 39 (W3 D2 L8), though two of those victories were against sides in the bottom four of the league standings, while the other was against Al Taawoun back in November.
Team News
© Reuters
After picking up a knock against Al-Ahli, Fofana was only given the final 15 minutes of game time in midweek, and Gerrard will likely give him the nod from the off here, provided he is fit enough to start.
Moussa Dembele currently leads the side with nine league goals in 19 appearances and is likely to continue to lead the line alongside Karl Toko Ekambi, who has found the back of the net seven times this season.
Knowledge Musona has missed the last two games for Al Riyadh with a knock and there is uncertainty around whether he will be able to return in time for this weekend's showdown.
Should Musona fail to make the cut, Hellmann may opt for a four-man midfield instead of the usual five, with Birama Toure and Fahad Al-Rashidi forming the central partnership, flanked by Saleh Al-Abbas and Abdulhadi Al-Harajin.
Al Ettifaq possible starting lineup:
Victor; Otaibi, Hendry, Al Dosari, Al-Shamrani; Wijnaldum, Medran, Hazazi; Ekambi, Dembele, Gray
Al Riyadh possible starting lineup:
Campana; Al-Nowaiqi, Al-Shwirekh, Arslanagic, Al-Shuwayyi, Al-Khaibari; Al-Abbas, Toure, Al-Rashidi, Al-Harajin; Gray
We say: Al Ettifaq 2-1 Al Riyadh
Both these sides come into this match in underwhelming form and desperately in need of all three points. A loss for the hosts may see them slip out of the top half of the table, while defeat for the visitors could mean that they are sucked into the bottom three.
This could end up being a match of fine margins, but we feel the home side will edge in the final result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
