Looking to continue their impressive winning run, Al Ittihad will welcome Al-Ahli to the King Abdullah Sports City for a Saudi Pro League clash on Thursday night.
The People's Club secured a comfortable win on home soil last time out in a competitive match, whilst the Emperors were forced to share the spoils.
Match preview
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Since the 3-1 defeat at the home of Neymar's Al-Hilal on September 21, Al Ittihad have enjoyed an excellent string of results across all competitions, winning six straight contests across the Saudi Pro League and King's Cup to continue a strong start to the 2024-25 campaign.
Monday night saw the People's Club book a well-deserved spot in the quarter-finals of the King's Cup at the expense of Al-Jandal, with first-half strikes from Abdulaziz Al-Bishi and Abdulrahman Al-Obood securing a comfortable victory for the hosts at Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.
Speaking purely on league matters, Laurent Blanc's troops have collected 12 points from four matches since the loss versus league leaders Al-Hilal, with Thursday's hosts managing a narrow one-goal success over Al Riyadh on October 24 courtesy of an effort from former Chelsea and Leicester City star N'Golo Kante.
Earning 21 points from their opening eight league fixtures of the 2024-25 term, the People's Club are currently occupying second position in the Pro League standings, three points off the summit of the table and six points ahead of Al Shabab, who lie outside AFC Champions League qualification.
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Since returning from the October international break, Al-Ahli have strung together a three-game unbeaten run across all competitions, although they were unable to make it three wins on the bounce on Friday night, when they were held at home by relegation-threatened Al Okhdood.
Despite dominating possession and creating the majority of the clear-cut chances, the Emperors fell behind in the contest because of a strike from winger Saviour Godwin, but the hosts in Jeddah were able to restore parity in the contest during the second period courtesy of ex-Manchester City starlet Riyad Mahrez.
After a third-placed finish in the division last season and subsequent qualification for the AFC Champions League, Al-Ahli are struggling to reach the same heights this time around so far, with Thursday's visitors currently languishing down in eighth place following just three wins from their first eight Pro League battles.
Fresh from a high-profile summer move from Premier League side Brentford, Ivan Toney is unsurprisingly leading the Emperors' goalscoring charts with three strikes in six appearances, with the England penalty hero also providing two assists for teammates.
Team News
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Al Ittihad remain without the services of Danilo Pereira, with the 33-year-old Portuguese midfielder sidelined until the start of November due to a muscle injury.
The hosts' options down the spine of their XI are restricted further by the absence of Luiz Felipe, who featured once in the Pro League in August before picking up a muscular issue.
Ahmed Mohammed Sharahili has been a long-term absentee for Al Ittihad, with the 30-year-old targeting a return at some point next month.
Replaced during the half-time break last time out, ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is a doubt for this match against title-challengers Al Ittihad.
There could be some alterations to the visitors' XI after they failed to win last time out, with the likes of Alexsander Gomes pushing for starts.
Al Ittihad possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Al Amri, Al-Mousa, Shanqeeti, Mitaj; Fabinho, Kante; Diaby, Aouar, Bergwijn; Benzema
Al-Ahli possible starting lineup:
Al-Sanbi; Hamed, Alhurayji, Ibanez, Balobaid; Al Asmari, Kessie; Mahrez, Firmino, Veiga; Toney
We say: Al Ittihad 2-1 Al-Ahli
Enjoying an excellent winning run, Al Ittihad will be confident of strengthening their case for the Saudi Arabian crown with maximum points on Thursday night.
Al-Ahli were frustratingly held by a relegation-threatened outfit last time out, meaning that the visitors in Jeddah could struggle this time around.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
