Al-Hilal may have already clinched their 19th Saudi Pro League title earlier this month, but there’s still more to play for in the final two matchdays of the 2023-24 campaign, particularly for teams that are in the lower half of the standings.
Al-Hazem are likely to be relegated because they are at the bottom with 21 points. However, two more teams will join the Ar Rass-based outfit in the drop zone, and Al-Tai and Al-Riyadh are hanging on for dear life.
Al-Tai and Al-Riyadh have 31 points apiece, two points above being relegated, but they are under enormous pressure to pull out positive Saudi Pro League 2024 results against Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, respectively, to stay afloat.
Without further ado, SBOTOP is here to preview the top three games to watch on matchday 33.
Al-Hilal vs Al-Tai
One way for Al-Tai to stay away from the drop zone is to get points from Al-Hilal, whether it’s a win or a draw. A win would be huge because, not only would it give them three massive points, but it would also put an end to Al-Hilal’s undefeated streak.
Al-Tai are unbeaten in their last three matches, with back-to-back draws against Al-Khaleej and Al-Raed before beating 10-man Al-Fateh 3-1 on Thursday.
In the said victory, Robert Bauer and Bernard Mensah overturned a 1-0 deficit, with the former scoring in the 12th minute and the latter scoring twice late in the second half.
Bernard Mensah is the one player Al-Hilal have to watch out for because the 29-year-old attacking midfielder is Al-Tai’s top attacking threat with 14 goals this season.
Al-Hilal, on the other hand, are coming off a 1-1 draw against Al-Nassr last time out, as Aleksandar Mitrovic scored the crucial equaliser (penalty) in stoppage time after Al-Nassr led for most of the game because of Otavio’s first-minute goal.
Mitrovic will continue to lead the line for Al-Hilal now and for the foreseeable future, especially after the news broke that Neymar is expected to miss the start of next season because he is still recovering from his knee injury.
Other than Neymar, Al-Hilal will also miss the services of Salem Al-Dawsari this weekend.
Al-Riyadh vs Al-Nassr
Al-Riyadh would’ve been in a better position coming into the 33rd matchday if they didn’t drop points against Al-Hazem on Sunday. Bruno Viana’s own goal in the 50th minute gave them the lead, but Odair Hellmann’s men conceded an injury-time goal from Paulo Ricardo.
Now that they host Al-Nassr, Al-Riyadh are hoping to reprise their giant-killer role. They head back to the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium with a four-game unbeaten run, including a 2-1 upset victory against Al-Ahli in late April.
However, the Saudi Pro League 2024 odds are stacked against Odair Hellmann’s side because they are going to be without three of his key players, as Saleh Al-Abbas, Alin Tosca, and Knowledge Musona are all dealing with injuries.
On the other hand, the evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo is chasing history here in the Saudi Pro League. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is one goal shy of tying Abderrazak Hamdallah’s single-season record of 34 league goals, and he will fancy his chances against one of the worst backlines in the Saudi Pro League.
As far as absentees are concerned for Al-Nassr, they will be without Talisca, Mohammed Maran, and Abdulrahman Ghareeb due to injuries, while Nawaf Al-Aqidi will continue to serve his suspension.
Al-Nassr will be looking to build momentum ahead of their monumental King’s Cup final clash against Al-Hilal at the end of the month, as they will aim to prevent their title rivals from securing the rare treble, and defeating Al-Riyadh is a great way to start.
Al-Raed vs. Al-Ahli
The final Saudi Pro League match that we’re going to feature is the one between Al-Raed and Al-Ahli, as both teams will look to end their campaign on a positive note.
Both teams are coming off wins last time out, although Al-Ahli are in better form because they’ve won three of their last five and are third in the table, while Al-Raed have only won once in their last five and are in 12th place.
The showdown between Karim El Berkaoui and Roberto Firmino is the one to watch out for. El Berkaoui is Al-Raed’s top scorer this season with 12 goals, while Firmino has eight goals for Al-Ahli. Firmino has been involved in four goals (two goals, two assists) in his last five appearances for Al-Ahli, and he can add to his 14 involvements (eight goals, six assists) on Thursday.
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