Al-Nassr missed out on a huge chance of winning a trophy this year after they were recently eliminated in the AFC Champions League quarter-finals against Al-Ain.
After the UAE Pro League side came away with a 1-0 win in the first leg, the pressure was on their Saudi Pro League counterparts to bounce back. SBOTOP football fans were in for a treat as both teams scored a bunch of goals, but it was Al-Ain who came out on top via penalties.
On the other hand, Al-Hilal are likely on their way to win their fourth league title in five years to put an end to Al-Ittihad’s reign, while there have been plans for the league to potentially bring in more players from Europe this summer, despite reports saying that they plan to curb spending.
Al-Nassr, Ronaldo have a big mountain to climb
It has been a whirlwind month of March so far for Al-Nassr, as they’ve recorded three losses, one win, and one draw in these past two weeks right before the international break.
After a shocking 4-4 draw against bottom feeders Al-Hazm, Al-Nassr suffered three consecutive losses against Al-Ain (twice) and Al-Raed, who are another bottom-half team in the Saudi Pro League, before securing a huge 1-0 victory against Al-Ahli.
With 24 league goals this season, Cristiano Ronaldo is the frontrunner for the Saudi Pro League’s Golden Boot race. However, he has also missed the most chances this season, with 20.
One of Ronaldo’s costly miss came against Al-Ain in the second leg of their AFC Champions League quarter-finals game. When Al-Nassr came back from a 2-0 deficit and the score was 2-2 after the 51st minute, Ronaldo had the chance to give his team the lead during the 61st minute.
Ronaldo was right there to tap the ball in after a save by Khalid Eisa, but somehow he sent the ball wide with his left foot, leaving him in disbelief since he has had so many tap-ins throughout his illustrious career.
Alex Telles made it 3-2 in the 72nd minute to send it to extra time, but Sultan Al-Shamsi drew level, and the game went to the penalty shootout. Cristiano Ronaldo converted his penalty, but Marcelo Brozovic, Alex Telles, and Otavio all missed from the spot, and Al-Nassr were sent packing.
Four days later, Al-Nassr secured a 1-0 win over Al-Ahli via a converted penalty from Ronaldo. However, they’re still trailing by 12 points to Al-Hilal, who are simply unplayable right now.
Al-Hilal continue to steamroll the league
After eliminating Al-Ittihad in the AFC Champions League quarter-finals, Al-Hilal set the new world record for most consecutive wins by a top-flight squad with 28 at the time, although it has been extended to 29 after they defeated Damac 2-1 last week.
Aleksandar Mitrovic has been the driving force behind the Riyadh-based outfit all season. With Neymar sidelined due to injuries, the former Fulham cult hero has taken it upon himself to shoulder the heavy offencive load, leading the squad with 20 league goals and five league assists.
Based on their current form, Al-Hilal are expected to win the league, according to the Saudi Pro League 2024 odds. But even so, head coach Jorge Jesus believes that the job is not yet finished.
Jesus is right because they still have a lot of games to cover, and they need more positive Saudi Pro League 2024 results.
After the international break, Al-Hilal are back in action against Al-Shabab, and they will also compete in the Saudi Super Cup semi-finals against Al-Nassr and the AFC Champions League semi-finals against Al-Ain.
Sandwiched in between the two legs of the AFC Champions League semi-finals is another high-profile match against Al-Ahli.
More high-profile players incoming this summer?
After spending roughly $875 million on incoming players last summer, the Saudi Pro League plans to “not repeat their footballing spending spree” soon because of the dwindling attendance of their stadiums this season, currently at 8,321, which is down from 10-per cent from last year.
But with so much (oil) money at their disposal, it’s hard to believe that they won’t continue to make huge swings this upcoming offseason, especially since the players are lured by the wealth that the league currently offers.
According to recent reports, Alexis Sanchez, Juan Cuadrado, Simon Kjaer, and Chris Smalling are linked with exits from Serie A, while Barcelona could receive a huge transfer offer for as much as €100 million for Raphinha by an anonymous Saudi Pro League club if they sell him.
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