Al-Ittihad’s Saudi Pro League title defence is off to an auspicious start, as they’re on top of the standings after the first four matchdays of the 2023-24 season.
Granted, they’ve taken care of business by beating up some of the league’s bottom-half sides, but they’ll face a litmus test when they host Al-Hilal this weekend at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium.
The said match may be the pick of the litter, but there are a few more games worth mentioning, namely the ones between Al-Hazem and Al-Nassr and Al-Fateh and Al-Ahli.
Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli are both enjoying winning streaks, and they plan to extend their unbeaten run in order to improve their Saudi Pro League 2023 odds and mount a title challenge against Al-Ittihad this season.
Al-Ittihad vs Al-Hilal
Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal were two of the busiest teams this offseason as both revamped their squads, and their recent investments have paid dividends.
The defending champions added the likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Fabinho, and Jota, and all of them have contributed to the team in one way or another.
Not to be left out, Al-Hilal have also strengthened their ranks with the acquisitions of Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Malcom, Kalidou Koulibaly, Yassine Bounou, and Neymar.
SBOTOP football fans from Al-Hilal are looking forward to this contest because this might be the game where Neymar will finally make his much-awaited Saudi Pro League debut.
Local reports claim that the former PSG star is back in first-team training, and he looks to have gotten over his thigh injury.
In contrast, Al-Ittihad supporters are anxious about the extent of the injury suffered by Karim Benzema, who had to leave the pitch against Al-Wehda before halftime.
Given his injury history, it’s likely that Benzema will sit this game against Al-Hilal out as a precaution, which is why they have been trying to poach Mohamed Salah from Liverpool.
On Week 4, Al-Ittihad crushed Al-Wehda with a 3-0 scoreline, while Al-Hilal notched a 2-0 win over Al-Ettifaq in what was a commanding performance. Both teams are undefeated in four consecutive matches, but only one of them can come out unscathed this Friday.
The two clubs already met earlier this season, as Al-Hilal eliminated Al-Ittihad in the Arab Club Champions Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 scoreline, but they eventually lost to Al-Nassr in the final.
Al-Hazem vs Al-Nassr
After their poor start, Al-Nassr finally got their first league win against Al-Fateh in Week 3, and now they’re keen on extending their streak to three straight matches when they visit Al-Hazem at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium on Saturday.
The main catalyst for Al-Nassr’s recent Saudi Pro League 2023 results is, as expected, Cristiano Ronaldo, as the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is back to his dangerous form in the final third.
Ronaldo has moved up in the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot race with five goals in the last two games. Against Al-Fateh, he assisted on Sadio Mane’s first goal before recording his 63rd career hat-trick and the first in an Al-Nassr uniform, with all goals on open play.
Against Al-Shabab a while ago, Ronaldo scored two goals via penalty kicks. He even debuted his new celebration, much to the delight of the fans.
Right now, Al-Nassr are in sixth place with six points, which is a long way from their second-place finish last term. But if Ronaldo keeps this up, they should be up there in no time.
As for Al-Hazem, they are 16th in the table because they have yet to win a single game, although their last two outings were draws against Al-Feiha and Al-Khaleej.
Al-Fateh vs Al-Ahli
Al-Ahli are currently the second-placed team in the league after winning all of their first four matches, just like Al-Ittihad, which is a remarkable turnaround considering they were playing in the second division last season.
Their early success can be owed to their key additions this summer transfer window, namely Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, Edouard Mendy, Merih Demiral, Roger Ibanez, Franck Kessie, Ezgjan Alioski, and Allan Saint-Maximin.
Firmino’s return to form has been pivotal for Al-Ahli. The former Liverpool man leads the team in scoring with three goals following his hat-trick against Al-Hazem earlier this month.
It also helps that Al-Ahli have yet to face a title contender, as their first such game will not be until September 23, when they visit Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
Al-Fateh’s form has declined after a promising start to their campaign. After defeating Al-Akhdoud 3-1, they suffered a humiliating loss to Al-Nassr and were held to a draw by Damac.
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