We’re already approaching Matchday Six of the 2023 Saudi Pro League season and it’s been the most watched in the league’s history. A steady stream of star names have followed Cristiano Ronaldo to the Gulf state and now there are household names playing for many of the top teams.
Even the national side has upped the ante with Italy’s Euro 2020 winner Roberto Mancini taking the reigns and there is no sign of the football mania sweeping Saudi Arabia from dying down. Fans in Europe are getting more familiar
After five scintillating rounds, the Saudi Pro League 2023 betting odds have installed the star studded league leaders Al-Hilal as favourites to win the title and they are one of the sides we’re looking at this week. But first, the Thursday fixture is another mouth-watering prospect.
Al Akhdoud vs Al Ittihad
The league campaign gets underway again with a curtain-raiser involving the third placed Al Ittihad travelling to meet Al Akhdoud, currently sitting in 13th position; and two famed Portuguese coaches come face to face at the Prince Hathloul Stadium as former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo meets Jorge Mendonca.
Al Ittihad were champions last season, for the ninth time in their history, and they are very strong on the road this time around, with three wins away and six on the bounce. They come into the game on the back of a loss in a seven-goal thriller at home to league leaders Al-Hilal and will be keen to get back to winning ways.
Al Akhdoud are in the Saudi Pro League having won promotion as the third placed team in the second tier last season and they have started reasonably well, with one win, one draw and three defeats. But Al Ittihad are just one point off the pace at the top of the table and they are at SBOTOP odds of 1.16 to win this match. The player to watch is Moroccan striker Abderrazak Hamdallah who has scored five goals and made two assists, while France ace and Ballon D’Or winner Karim Benzema with two goals, will also be close to the action.
Al-Hilal vs Al Riyadh
Another Portuguese boss will be on the touchline on Friday as pace setters Al-Hilal host Al Riyadh at the King Fahd International Stadium. Jorge Pinheiro’s Al-Hilal currently top the league and they host another newly promoted club, Al Riyadh, on Friday. With a record of four wins and a draw against a side which has one won, one draw and three defeats, the favourites are priced at 1.12 to win this game.
The league leaders are scoring for fun with three players, Malcom, Salem Al-Dawsari and Aleksandar Mitrovic all bagging four goals each from five games; and these three players are not even the biggest names in this highly ambitious club. Brazilian ace Neymar made some huge Saudi Pro League 2023 news headlines when he signed for Al-Hilal recently; and he joins former Lazio ace Sergej Milinkovic-Savic who has already gone down a storm with Al-Hilal fans who love his dominant and all-action style.
This team will take some stopping.
Abha vs Al-Ettifaq
On Saturday, Al Ettifaq are away to Abha and that is a really intriguing contest. It’s tenth versus fifth, Abha winning two of their five games and losing the other three, while Al Ettifaq have won three, drawn one and lost one.
This is another highly ambitious side, Al Ettifaq appointing former Liverpool playing legend Steven Gerrard as their manager and his team is priced at 1.60 to win this match. Former Lyon striker Moussa Dembele, with three goals to his name already, has settled well, while Robin Quaison, who was on target for Sweden in the international break, has scored two. England star Jordan Henderson surprised many Premier League fans when he joined Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq, but he seems to be finding his feet having been given the captaincy, and he has made two assists.
Abha are a well established team and have won four of their eight previous meetings with Al-Ettifaq, losing three and drawing one, and, while the vast majority of their players are Saudi Arabian, the hosts do have a recognisable name in bustling Cameroon striker Karl Toko Ekambi.
Gerrard has much greater depth in his squad and, as well as Henderson, Dembele and Quaison; he has another former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum in his ranks, and former Leicester City striker Demarai Gray. Gerrard is under serious pressure to succeed and, after failing at Aston Villa last year, he will be desperate for his team to find some momentum.
They may not find this weekend easy though.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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