The 2023-24 Saudi Pro League season is living up to the hype, which is expected considering the influx of talent that arrived in the Gulf Kingdom this summer.
Because they’re the only undefeated team so far, Al-Hilal have risen to the top spot of the table, but their margin for error is small, with the likes of Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli breathing down on their necks.
These three teams are going to be featured in some mouthwatering matchups, with Al-Ahli paying a visit to Al-Nassr, while Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal are going to be up against Al-Fateh and Damac, respectively.
Will we see a new team at the top of the standings after this week’s Saudi Pro League 2023 results? Without further ado, here’s a SBOTOP preview for this week’s action.
Al-Nassr vs Al-Ahli
As the title of this article suggests, Al-Nassr vs Al-Ahli is the pick of the litter this weekend, given the combined star power of these two clubs.
Cristiano Ronaldo remains the talk of the town when it comes to the Saudi Pro League because he continues to produce at a high level.
The former Manchester United star now leads the Golden Boot race with seven goals, which is already half his total from last term. But more importantly, he has been Al-Nassr’s main catalyst in their four-game winning streak after dropping their first two games of the campaign.
Another Al-Nassr star who deserves a shout-out is Sadio Mane, who now has six goals. After flaming out at Bayern Munich last season, he has made a fine start to life with Al-Nassr, as he has formed a dangerous strike partnership alongside Ronaldo.
During their four-game winning streak, Al-Nassr have recorded a whopping 17 goals while only conceding twice on the other end.
Al-Ahli, on the other hand, recovered from their previous week’s humiliating 5-1 loss to Al-Fateh by defeating Al-Taawoun 3-1.
Roberto Firmino is becoming a fan favourite at Al-Ahli since he leads the team in scoring with three goals, all scored against Al-Hazem last month, while Allan Saint-Maximin finally opened his account with his new club on Saturday.
Riyad Mahrez and Franck Kessie have also recorded two goals each for Al-Ahli so far.
Al-Ittihad vs Al-Fateh
The Saudi Pro League 2023 odds suggest that Al-Ittihad’s game against Al-Fateh is a sure win for them, but that should be taken with a grain of salt.
After a mixed bag of results to start their 2023-24 campaign, Al-Fateh are now undefeated in their last three games, including an impressive victory against Al-Ahli recently.
Leading the way for Al-Fateh is Mourad Batna, who now has five goals. The 33-year-old has already reached half his total from last term, and he will fancy his chances to beat his previous tally.
Al-Ittihad will need this win against Al-Fateh in order to get back on top of the standings, especially if Damac somehow defeat Al-Hilal this week, and they’re hoping that Karim Benzema is fit to play this weekend.
The assumption is that Benzema will play against Al-Fateh because he was rested against AGMK in their AFC Champions League group stage match last night. However, the 35-year-old has to be handled with kid gloves, given his injury history.
But with or without Benzema, Al-Ittihad remain dangerous in the final third since they have the likes of Abderrazak Hamdallah and Igor Coronado, who have combined for eight goals thus far.
Hamdallah, by the way, is the current Saudi Pro League Golden Boot holder after notching 21 league goals last season. He has the moniker “The Executioner” for good reason.
Betting Tip – Al-Ittihad Asian Handicap -1.75 @ 2.00
Damac vs Al-Hilal
Neymar, who signed from PSG last month, finally made his Al-Hilal debut on Friday in their 6-1 annihilation of Al-Riyadh, coming off the bench to play the final 26 minutes of the game.
He also played in their AFC Champions League group stage match against Navbahor last night. But he had a game to forget, and Al-Hilal were fortunate not to lose, as centre-back Ali Albulayhi scored a late equaliser for a 1-1 draw.
The good thing for Al-Hilal, though, is that they’re up against Damac, who are at the bottom of the standings because they have yet to win a single game this term.
Al-Hilal should win this one easily because they can overwhelm Damac with their collective firepower. Neymar doesn’t need to carry this team, especially with Salem Al-Dawsari (6), Malcom (5), and Aleksandar Mitrovic (5) delivering the goals.
Betting Tip – Al-Hilal Asian Handicap -2.00 @ 1.80
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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