Preview: Al-Ittihad vs Al-Ettifaq - prediction, team news, lineups

Al-Ittihad and Al-Ettifaq will slug it out in a matchday 15 Saudi Pro League encounter at the King Abdullah Sports City on Friday.

The hosts are sixth in the standings, having accrued 27 points after 14 encounters, while the visiting side are one place behind with 22 points after the same number of matches.

Match preview

After clinching the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League title, Al-Ittihad started the season looking to defend their crown, but the competition has been stiff.

Currently sixth in the standings, the home side are far from the top of the table and 11 points adrift of Al-Hilal, who are setting the pace.

The defending champions started the season well, but a run of poor results saw them slide down the table.

That inconsistent run has now been arrested, as they are unbeaten in their last seven fixtures across all competitions, winning six and recording a draw in the other.

Going into this encounter, the hosts will have a measure of confidence, as they have won five consecutive matches in front of their fans.

In that run, the hosts have kept three successive clean sheets, scoring four goals during that period, and that will serve as a confidence booster for the home team.

© Imago

Meanwhile, the visitors are unbeaten in three league fixtures on the road, recording a draw and two victories.

Although those two wins were recorded against Al-Riyadh and Al-Najma, two teams currently embroiled in the relegation scrap, the away side will fancy their chances of getting a decent result on Friday.

Five points behind the hosts and nine behind Al-Taawoun in the final AFC Champions League Elite stage spot, Saad Al-Shehri’s team will be looking to cut the gap between themselves and the top three places.

The last time they visited the King Abdullah Sports City, they suffered a 3-2 loss in April, and they will be keen to avoid back-to-back defeats against Sergio Conceicao’s team.

Al-Ittihad League form:

Al-Ittihad form (all competitions):

Al-Ettifaq League form:

Al-Ettifaq form (all competitions):

Team News

The starting XI for Al-Ittihad is not expected to change much, with the bulk of the team that started in their previous game expected to retain their places.

Predrag Rajkovic should maintain his place between the sticks, with Hamed Al Shanqiti, Danilo Pereira, Ahmed Sharahili and Hassan Kadesh to provide cover in front of him.

Saad Al-Mousa is out with a broken ankle, and he will not be a part of the matchday squad.

Similarly, Houssem Aouar is also stricken with a muscle injury, and he will not be involved on Friday.

On the other hand, Fabinho is suspended, and that will pave the way for Awad Al-Nashri to start.

For the visiting side, Ahmed Hassan is not expected to play any part, as he is currently out with an unspecified injury.

However, Georginio Wijnaldum and Moussa Dembele are both fit and firing for Al-Ettifaq; the former boasts a wonderful nine goals and three assists from 14 matches this season.

 Al-Ittihad possible starting lineup:

Rajkovic; Al Shanqiti, Pereira, Sharahili, Kadesh; Kante, Al-Nashri; Diaby, Bergwijn, Roger; Benzema

Al-Ettifaq possible starting lineup:

Rodak; Calvo, Hindi, Hendry, Khateeb; Medran, Ali, Duda, Nkota; Wijnaldum, Dembele

We say: Al-Ittihad 2-1 Al-Ettifaq

Al-Ittihad will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to eight fixtures to move further up the standings.

Considering their attacking qualities and fine home form, the home side are favourites to claim a victory, and we are backing them to claim a 2-1 win.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.