Al Ittihad will host Al Riyadh tomorrow. Al Ittihad are stuck in a strange run, going five league games without a win, and you can almost sense the frustration building around the team. Al Riyadh, on their own side, keep scoring in every match lately, but their away form still isn’t something they’d brag too much about.
Al Ittihad posted photos of their players training and preparing for the game on the club’s official X account.
View the post below:
Al Ittihad won the last five meetings and hasn’t lost to Al Riyadh in seven league games. But this season Al Ittihad have only managed four goals at home and conceded more than they planned. It makes this fixture feel a bit unpredictable, even though the past suggests otherwise.
Both teams need something from this match, at least something to push their confidence up again. And in games like this, sometimes the team that settles early ends up taking the whole point.
Team News
There’s not much official talk about injuries or suspensions from either side, so most of the familiar names should be ready for selection. For Al Ittihad, the attention once again turns to Karim Benzema, who scored a goal for Al Ittihad in the club’s recent 2-1 win against Al Nassr in the King’s Cup, sitting on three goals and often dragging the team forward when things get tight.
Benzema’s situation has drawn even more interest lately after he expressed uncertainty surrounding his future, as reported by Softfootball, a story that adds a bit of extra weight to his performances this season.
In midfield, Fabinho and Kanté are expected to steady things and bring some order, especially with Al Ittihad holding the highest ball-possession numbers in the league.
Al Riyadh rely a lot on Mamadou Sylla, who has scored four goals already, and they’ll hope the players around him can finally help turn their away performances into something more solid.
Possible Lineups
Al Ittihad (4-3-3):
Grohe; Madallah Al-Olayan, Hegazy, Sharahili, Santos; Fabinho, Kante, Hamed; Bergwijn, Benzema, Diaby.
Al Riyadh (4-2-3-1):
Al Aqidi; Al Shanqiti, Jonsson, Nuhu, Aissa; Al Qarni, Diallo; Mensah, Eisa, Al Dosari; Sylla.
Softfootball’s Prediction
Softfootball slightly leans toward Al Ittihad again, not because they’ve been convincing lately, but mostly due to their history in this fixture and the individual quality that usually appears when the team really needs it.
Predicted Score: Al Ittihad 2–1 Al Riyadh
