Al-Ittihad will clash with basement team Al-Najma in a Saudi Pro League fixture at the King Abdullah Sports City on Sunday.
The current champions of Saudi Arabia are sixth in the standings, while the visitors are rock bottom of the table.
After Al-Ittihad won their second league title in three seasons last term, fans of the team would have thought that the title defence would be an easy ride, but their performance in the 2025-26 season has been underwhelming.
The current champions have won only nine of their 18 league fixtures, drawing four and losing five, leaving them in sixth place, 15 points adrift of leaders Al-Hilal.
At the start of the current campaign, the hosts won three games in a row, but a five-match winless streak (D2, L3) followed.
After that period, Sergio Conceicao managed to galvanise his team to go on a six-game unbeaten run (W5, D1), but they have already lost some ground in their bid to defend the Pro League title.
Now sixth in the standings, and 12 points behind Al-Ahli, who occupy the final AFC Champions League Elite spot, winning the title in two consecutive seasons may be tricky, but there is still hope for the People’s Club to make it to the continent.
Playing at home, the results have been mixed for Conceicao’s team, with a record of five wins and four losses in front of their fans, but Al-Najma are not expected to cause an upset on Sunday.
Indeed, the visitors' sojourn in the Saudi Arabian top division has been a miserable ride since gaining promotion last season.
After 18 league fixtures, Mario Silva’s team are yet to record their first win of the season, managing five stalemates and 13 losses.
Central to their present circumstance is their inability to score enough goals and their leaky defence, which has seen them concede a league-high 37 goals, while they notched a miserly 18 across 18 matches.
Currently bottom of the table, the Star of Unaizah are seven points from safety, and a run of unlikely victories could take them out of the dreaded relegation zone.
Al Ittihad Saudi Pro League form:
Al Najma Saudi Pro League form:
© Imago / Marco Canoniero
Predrag Rajkovic has been the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper for Al-Ittihad, and he is expected to keep his spot for Sunday’s clash.
Right ahead of the Serbian, Hamed Al-Shanqiti, Danilo Pereira, Hassan Kadesh and Mario Mitaj should form the defensive cover.
Up front, Moussa Diaby, Saleh Al-Shehri and Roger Fernandes are expected to form the trio leading the attack.
For Al-Najma, Mohammed Al-Kunaydiri is sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury, so this encounter will come too soon for him.
Meanwhile, Nasser Al-Haleel has recovered from an injury which plagued him for some time, and he should be in the manager’s plans for this weekend.
Hisham Al Dubais led the attack in their most recent game, and he is expected to keep his place up front.
Al Ittihad possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Al-Shanqiti, Pereira, Kadesh, Mitaj; Kante, Fabinho, Doumbia; Diaby, Al Shehri, Roger
Al Najma possible starting lineup:
Victor Braga; Vitao, Samir Caetano, Al Haleel, Al Hawsawi; Flores; Jasim, Tijanic, Al Tulayhi, Boutobba; Al Dubais
Al-Ittihad are not having a great season themselves, but they are more than capable of inflicting another defeat on the visiting side. Given the gulf in quality and Al-Najma’s struggles, we reckon the home side will claim a 2-0 win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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