The final match of gameweek 11 in the Saudi Pro League will see Al Wahda taking on Al Ettifaq at the King Abdulaziz Stadium in Mecca on Saturday evening.
Both sides are in need of a positive result here as they have both failed to win any of their last three games and are set in mid-table and slowly losing ground to the sides at the top of the standings.
Match preview
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While Al Wahda have only managed 13 points from their first 10 matches this season, they will likely be relatively content with their return so far, having narrowly avoided the drop last season.
The hosts come into this match off the back of a 3-1 loss to Al Ahli, which was their third consecutive match without victory, following a 5-1 loss to Al Fateh and a 1-1 draw against Al Fayha before the international break.
The Knights of Mecca were totally outplayed in their last match and only managed to get on the scoresheet due to an Abdulbasit Hindi own-goal, while they also found themselves reduced to 10 men before the final whistle when Ala Al Hajji was shown a straight red.
However, at home, Georgios Donis's side has been quite good this season, losing only once in their last five matches on home soil while winning on three occasions and drawing their most recent home fixture.
The last time these sides met, Al Wahda secured a point with a 1-1 draw, and based on their current form, the hosts would likely be the happier of these sides if this one ended level as well.
Meanwhile, Al Ettifaq made a very strong start to the season with wins over Al-Nassr and Al Hazm in their first two matches, but their performance have taken a downturn of late, and they will be hoping to get back to winning ways in this one.
The visitors were beaten 1-0 by Al Riyadh in their last match, which followed a 2-1 defeat to Al Fateh before the break and a 0-0 draw to Al Ahli at the end of last month, which sees them come into this match on 17 points, five behind the top three sides.
Steven Gerrard's side's major issue of late has been their away form, as they have managed to win just one of their last four matches on the road and failed to score in three games during that period.
However, they will fancy their chances here against an opponent that they have not lost to in their last three meetings, drawing two and winning one while also outscoring them 3-2 in that time.
Team News
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Following his red card in the last match, Al Hajji will begin the first of his three-match suspension in this match which should see Hazzaa Al-Ghamdi step into midfield in his absence.
Nigerian international and former Manchester United forward Odion Ighalo has scored five goals for the hosts this season and should lead the line again in this match, with Anselmo occupying the number 10 role behind him.
In the opposite dugout, Gerrard has only one absentee to deal with in the form of left-winger Vitinho, who is ineligible for selection at the moment.
Moussa Dembele has been the standout performer for the visitors this season with seven goals and should return to the starting lineup in this match after missing out against Al-Riyadh last week.
Al Wahda possible starting lineup:
Munir; Al Mowalad, Yamiq, Duarte, Hawsawi; Al-Ghamdi, Fajr, Goodwin, Al Eisa, Anselmo; Ighalo
Al Ettifaq possible starting lineup:
Victor; Otaibi, Tisserand, Hendry, Al-Khateeb; Hazazi, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Kuwaykibi, Dembele, Gray
We say: Al Wahda 1-2 Al Ettifaq
While both these sides have been finding wins hard to come by of late, the visitors undoubtedly have the class to come away with the points in this match. They will also be back to their full squad with key players returning to action, and we feel they will just about edge this match by a one-goal margin.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
