Saudi Pro League Game : Al Ettifaq VS Al Fateh Preview | Date: October 5, 2023 | Time: 23:30 Hrs. | Location: Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Al Ettifaq Football Club نادي الاتفاق لكرة القدم is going head to head with Al Fateh Sports Club نادي الفتح الرياضي starting on 30th Sept 2023 at 23:30 Hrs . The match is a part of the Saudi Professional League.

Currently, Al Ettifaq rank 5th, while Al Fateh holds 7th position on Saudi Pro League standing.

Al Ettifaq VS Al Fateh: Preview

Al Fateh will be attempting to win three straight games for the first time this season when they take on Al Ettifaq at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium on Thursday.

The hosts sought to defeat the Paragon and improve their standing in the first tier of the Saudi Professional League standings after losing both home and away matches between the teams the previous season.

As they drew 0-0 with Al-Ahli last Saturday, Al Etiffaq was denied back-to-back away victories for the first time in the 2023–24 Saudi Professional League season.

Both teams put on a sluggish performance in the offensive half of the pitch during a cagey match at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, blowing numerous clear-cut opportunities before agreeing to a sharing of the spoils.

Before that, on September 24, Al Etiffaq defeated Jeddah Club 4-0 to advance to the round of 16 of the King’s Cup thanks to goals from Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi, and a brace from French striker Moussa Dembele.

Since suffering a 2-0 loss to Al Hilal on August 28, Steven Gerrard’s team has won three games and drawn one, going four games without suffering a league defeat.

Al Ettifaq is the team that will play next. They have defeated Al Ettifaq in each of their last three encounters, scoring 10 goals and recording three shutouts since a goalless draw in September 2021.

Al Ettifaq VS Al Fateh: Head to Head

Al Fateh, on the other hand, put on a top-notch performance last weekend as they easily defeated Al Wehda 5-1 at the Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Stadium.

After falling behind to a goal from Craig Goodwin in the 21st minute, the Paragon came back and won the game with goals from Mourad Batna, Djaniny, and a hat-trick from Cristian Tello.

Except for a 2-1 setback against Al-Ittihad on September 21 at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Al Fateh has now won three of their past four league games, scoring 14 goals and giving up five.

Slaven Bilic’s team defeated Al Okhdood 3-1 in a decisive match on September 27 in Hofuf, advancing them to the round of 16 of the King’s Cup in the process.

Al Fateh have won four, drawn two, and lost two of their first eight league games this year. With 14 points, they are currently ranked seventh in the Professional League, three points and two places behind Thursday’s opponents.

Team News

Al Ettifaq has no suspension issues going into the game on Wednesday, allowing Gerrard the luxury of having a fully functional squad at his disposal.

Nevertheless, we anticipate a front three consisting of Demarai Grey, Robin Quaison, and 27-year-old Dembele, who has contributed to 10 goals in nine games since joining from Olympique Lyon in the summer.

Since Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson have started each of Al Ettifaq’s last four games, we anticipate that they will continue to play together in the middle of the park.

The back four of Abdullah Khateeb, Jack Hendry, Marcel Tisserand, and Radhi Al-Oteibi should defend the defensive end of the field once more, protecting custodian Paulo Victor, 36, from harm.

With a hat trick against Al Wehda over the weekend, Tello maintained his strong start to the season. The 32-year-old will be expected to perform admirably once more.

Tello, Batna, and former Columbus Crew striker Lucas Zelarayan should make up the front three. Tello assisted on two goals in Al Fateh’s 4-0 win over Al Ettifaq in May.

In goal, Swedish goalkeeper Jacob Rinne could start for the eighth straight league game, while Fahd Mohammed Al-Harbi and club captain Marwane Saadane should form a back four together.

Performance:

Al Ettifaq

All competitions
D L W W W D

Al Fateh

All competitions
L D W W L W

Al Ettifaq possible starting lineup:
Victor; Khateeb, Hendry, Tisserand, Al-Oteibi; Hazazi, Wijnaldum, Henderson; Gray, Dembele, Quaison

Al Fateh possible starting lineup:
Rinne; Baattia, Saadane, Al-Harbi, Buhumaid; Bendebka, Mukhtar, Alhassan; Batna, Tello, Zelarayan

Al Ettifaq VS Al Fateh: Prediction

We expect an intense match at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium between Al Ettifaq and Al Fateh due to their previous strong performances. The Paragon will try to continue their winning streak in this game, but Gerrard’s team is unbeaten at home in the league this year, so we expect them to hold out for a point-sharing result.

Our analysis of all the information, including player statistics and recent performances, indicates that an Al Ettifaq victory is the most likely result of this game, with a probability of 45.46%