Al Shabab and Al Fateh bring their 2023-24 Saudi Professional League campaign to an end when they go head to head at the Al Shabab FC Stadium on Monday.
Having failed to win the last three meetings between the sides, the Sons of the Palm will head into the season finale looking to get one over the hosts and end their run of four consecutive away games without a win.
Match preview
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Al Shabab were left empty handed yet again as they suffered a 1-0 loss against Al Ettifaq when the sides squared off at the Abdullah Al Dabil Stadium on Thursday.
Former Belgium international Yannick Carrasco failed to convert his 85th-minute penalty as Alvaro Medran's first-half strike was enough to separate the teams and hand the hosts their 12th win of the season.
Since securing a 2-0 victory over 10-man Al Raed on May 4, Al Shabab have lost three consecutive matches conceding four goals and scoring once in what has been a tough end to the season.
However, Vitor Pereira's men remain on course to secure a top-half finish as they sit ninth in the Professional League table with 41 points from 33 matches, one point above 10th-placed Damac heading into the season finale.
Al Shabab will end the season on home turf, where they have won all but one of their last four matches since the start of April — scoring nine goals and keeping three clean sheets — with a 2-1 loss against Al Ahli on May 11 being the exception.
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Elsewhere, Al Fateh turned in a fine show of fighting spirit last time out when they came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Al Hazem at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium.
Portuguese midfielder Toze struck midway through the first half to put Al Hazem in front but Cristian Tello and Lucas Zelarayan scored in a 10-minute spell to turn the game on its head to hand the visitors their 18th defeat of the season.
This was a much-needed respite for the Sons of the Palm, who had failed to taste victory in any of their previous four outings, losing twice and picking up two draws since mid-April.
Al Fateh have now won 12 of their 33 Professional League matches so far while losing 12 and claiming nine draws to collect 45 points and sit seventh in the table, three points behind sixth-placed Al Ettifaq.
While Slaven Bilic's men will be looking to close out the campaign on a high, they have struggled to get going on the road, where they are on a four-match winless run, picking up just one point from a possible 12, and have won just one of their seven matches since the turn of the year.
Team News
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Al Shabab remain without the duo of Abdullah Al-Jawaey and South Korean goalkeeper Seung-gyu Kim, who are currently recuperating from cruciate ligament injuries.
Hattan Bahebri has missed each of the last five matches since coming off injured against Abha on April 18 and will also sit out Monday's season finale.
Al Fateh, on the other hand, will take to the pitch without Saeed Baattia, who came off with a severe injury in the opening 20 minutes of the game against Al Tai on May 16.
He is joined on the Sons of the Palm's injury table by the duo of Mourad Batna and 23-year-old Saeed Al-Basisi, who continue their spells on the sidelines.
Experienced defender Ali Alzubaidi is available for selection, having missed the game against Al Hazem due to suspension after picking up a red card against Al Tai.
Al Shabab possible starting lineup:
Malaika; Saiss, Santos, Sharari; Al-Harbi, Cueller, Rakitic, Al Yami; Carrasco, Diallo, Vitinho
Al Fateh possible starting lineup:
Rinne; Alnajdi, Saadane, Al-Oujami, Al-Harbi; Al-Othman, Mukhtar, Bendekba; Zelarayan, Tello, Djaniny
We say: Al Shabab 1-1 Al Fateh
Buoyed by their victory over Al Hazem, Al Fateh will head into the game full of confidence as they look to end the season on a positive note. However, they have struggled for results on the road and we predict that both sides will cancel out each other's efforts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
