Preview: Al-Ahli vs Fulham - prediction, team news, lineups

Fulham will play their first public friendly of pre-season on Tuesday, when they travel to Portugal to take on Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli at Estadio Municipal Albufeira.

Alvaro Arbeloa will be keen to make a strong impression on Fulham supporters after being appointed as the successor to long-term manager Marco Silva.

Match preview

Al-Ahli come into Tuesday's clash having finished third in the Saudi Pro League, ending the 2025-26 campaign three points behind Al-Hilal and five behind champions Al Nassr.

Their return of 81 points was 14 more than they totalled in 2024-25, and while they only scored two more league goals (71), they conceded 11 fewer (25) times.

Boss Matthias Jaissle has so far overseen three friendlies ahead of his side's next campaign, with his team losing 4-1 to Holstein Kiel on July 15, drawing 2-2 with Rio Ave on July 19 and losing 3-1 to Vitoria Guimaraes on July 24.

It should be noted that Al-Malaki ended their most recent campaign with five consecutive victories, and their poor showings in pre-season should not necessarily be seen as an indicator of their quality.

Al-Ahli last encountered a British opponent in the summer of 2025, when they settled for a 1-1 stalemate with Celtic before losing 4-2 on penalties in that friendly.

The Cottagers played a behind-closed-doors friendly at Motspur Park on Saturday, losing 2-0 to Norwich City, but the Londoners reportedly wasted a number of opportunities in front of goal.

Arbeloa arrived at Craven Cottage as the replacement for Marco Silva, who left to join Benfica, and it is understandable that many supporters are somewhat sceptical of his appointment.

The Spaniard's only previous experience of top-level management was a turbulent six-month spell at Real Madrid last season, which resulted in the Spanish giants opting for Jose Mourinho instead.

Arbeloa has inherited a Fulham side that finished 11th in the Premier League for a second consecutive season, though their final points return of 52 was two fewer than they managed in 2024-25.

The Cottagers ended last season with a record of two wins, two draws and three losses from their final seven league fixtures, and they concerningly failed to score in four of those games, but they did keep three clean sheets.

Al-Ahli friendly form (all competitions):

Fulham friendly form:

Team News

Al-Ahli could line up with a centre-back pairing of Rayan Hamed and Matteo Dams, with the two likely to be stationed behind defensive midfielder Ziyad Aljohani.

Striker Firas Al-Buraikan will need support from wide forwards Saleh Abu Al-Shamat and Eduard Spertsyan if he is to find the back of the net.

The exit of Harry Wilson to Leeds United has left a significant void in Fulham's attack, and while Oscar Bobb remains away from the squad, they will have to rely on the likes of Kevin and Alex Iwobi in wide areas.

Sasa Lukic and Harrison Reed both played 45 minutes against Norwich, and they may feature together in the middle of the pitch.

Goalkeeper Bernd Leno is a certain inclusion, and the veteran shot-stopper may be positioned behind centre-backs Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey.

Al-Ahli possible starting lineup:

Sanbi; Abdulrahman, Hamed, Dams, Balobaid; Goncalves, Aljohani, Millot; Aboulshamat, Al-Buraikan, Spertsyan

Fulham possible starting lineup:

Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon; Reed, Lukic; Iwobi, King, Kevin; Muniz

We say: Al-Ahli 1-2 Fulham

While it is always difficult to accurately predict pre-season results, Al-Ahli have been inconsistent in recent friendlies.

Fulham should have enough quality to come away with a win, but any victory may be by a narrow margin, especially if Arbeloa makes a number of half-time changes.