The final match of gameweek seven in the Saudi Pro League will be a clash of the heavyweights as Al-Nassr take on Al-Ahli at the King Saud University Stadium on Friday evening.
The hosts are currently in sixth place in the league standings with 21 points after six matches, while the visitors are in third place and just one point behind the early league leaders Al Hilal.
Match preview
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After a shaky start to the 2022-23 campaign, which included back-to-back losses in their first two matches of the season, Al-Nassr seem to have refound their rhythm of late.
They come into this match following a 2-0 win over Iranian outfit Persepolis in their first match of the AFC Champions League, which saw them move to the top of Group E in the early stages of the competition.
That result also extended Luis Castro's side's excellent recent record to six consecutive wins in all competitions, scoring an incredible 23 goals in that time while only conceding four at the other end of the pitch.
Al-Nassr's last league match ended in a 3-1 victory over Al Raed, with Sadio Mane, Talisca and Cristiano Ronaldo all finding the target before Mohamed Fouzair slotted away a late consolation in the closing moments of the match.
Despite the current league standings, the hosts have been the superior team in this encounter of late, unbeaten in their last three matches against Al-Ahli, while outsourcing them 5-3 during that period.
Meanwhile, Al-Ahli dropped their first points of the season when they were unexpectedly taken apart by Al Fateh 5-1 at the start of the month, but they bounced back well from that defeat to overcome Al Taawoun last weekend.
Abdulbasit Hindi gave his side the lead inside the first five minutes before an own-goal from Waleed Al Ahmad put them two up, but after two quick goals from their opponents, Allan Saint-Maximin came up with what was ultimately the winning goal shortly after the hour mark.
After earning promotion back to the top flight under Pitso Mosimane last season, Matthias Jaissle has made an instant impact at the club and currently boasts a record of five wins in his first six matches in charge.
A minor concern for the visitors after the first six games of the season will be their defensive solidity, as they have already let in nine goals, which is the second-most of any side in the top half of the table.
However, now comes the new boss's biggest challenge to date, and it will be interesting to see how his side cope against their free-scoring fellow PIF-owned counterparts.
Team News
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The hosts will have a few injury absentees to contend with, starting with Ayman Yahya, who is struggling with a knee injury and is expected to remain sidelined for a while longer.
Talisca and Seko Fofana have been flagged as doubts for this match while Abdullah Madu is back in training, though this fixture may have come too soon for him to return.
As for the visitors, Abdullah Otayf has been confirmed to have sustained a cruciate ligament rupture and is now expected to miss a large chunk of the season as a result.
Hindi was shown a straight red against Al Taawoun last week and will start the first of his three-match suspension in this one.
Al-Nassr possible starting lineup:
Alaqidi; Al Ghanam, Alamri, Laporte, Qassem; Al Khaibari, Brozovic, Mane, Otavio, Ghareeb; Ronaldo
Al-Ahli possible starting lineup:
Mendy; Majrashi, Ibanez, Al Hamad, Al Ammar; Al Majhad, Kessie, Mahrez, Veiga, Saint-Maximin; Firmino
We say: Al-Nassr 2-1 Al-Ahli
We are expecting a high-quality game of football here between two sides that have been tipped to challenge for the title this season. A few notable absentees for Al-Ahli could be a crucial factor in this one, which is why we are leaning toward the hosts to edge it.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
