The Saudi Pro League top three are all in action this weekend, each team at home; and two of the three will be confident of another three points, while a clash between second and fourth takes centre stage.
This has been the most watched Saudi League in history after a surge in big name signings arrived over the summer, and we’ll be looking at the games involving Karim Benzema, Aleksandar Mitrovic and an old hand, Cristiano Ronaldo, as his team Al Nassr hopes to keep the pressure up on the top two.
Al Taawoun vs Al Ittihad
Al Tawoun have gate-crashed the title race and currently sit in second place with seven wins, one draw and one defeat. They finished fifth last season and look very capable, with an experienced Saudi Pro League manager in Pericles Chamusca, to match or even better that performance. Brazilian striker Joao Pedro is experienced in this league too and he is joint top scoring with three goals, alongside former Bologna striker Musa Barrow, while Spanish midfielder Alvaro Medran is impressing in his second season at the club, with five assists so far this season.
Nuno Espirito Santo was one of the big names to arrive in the Saudi Pro League in the summer and he took over as head coach of Al Ittihad who currently sit in fourth place, having lost their last game at home to Al-Ahli. Abderazak Hamdallah is top-scoring with five goals from seven games while big summer signing Karim Benzema has three. Al-Ittihad convinced the Ballon d’Or winner to leave Madrid for the Middle East and he signed on a deal which takes him to 2026. Al Ittihad are under pressure to win this top-four clash but they won’t find it easy against a team which has won all four home league games this season and are unbeaten at home in ten.
Al Taawounwon this fixture last term 2-1 and a repeat of that score line is at SBOTOP odds of 14.92.
Our Pick: Al Taawoun Asian Handicap +0.75 @ 2.04
Al Hilal vs Al Khaleej
League leaders Al Hilal are red hot favourites to beat 11th placed Al Khaleej when they meet on Matchday 10, at odds of 1.08 to win this game; and the latest Saudi Pro League 2023 betting odds make them the team to beat for the title. Head coach Jorge Jesus has a star-studded squad to pick from and there will be some big names on show for the visit of Al Khaleej.
Former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored six goals already and he’s a powerhouse who leads the line, while Brazilian striker Malcom has six goals too. Sergej-Milinkovic Savic in midfield and Kalidou Koulibaly at the back have both been dominant and many fans of the Saudi Pro League believe we have yet to see the best of this team.
Al Khaleej boss Pedro Emanuel doesn’t have anywhere near those riches in his squad but he has a committed band of brothers and a hidden gem in Portuguese winger Fabio Martins. He is the visitors’ danger man, with four goals this season and 11 in 26 for the club in 2023.
Al Hilal have won all nine of the previous meetings with Al Khaleej and are unbeaten at home this season with three wins and a draw. The visitors have picked up some decent results recently with three wins from six and two of those away from home, against Al Shabab and Al Akhdoud, but this will be a step too far if the home team turns up.
Our Pick: Al Hilal Asian Handicap -2.50 @ 1.81
Al Nassr vs Damak Club
Any thoughts that the 38-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo may be ready to begin winding down have been trashed by his early season form at Al Nassr, as he has already plundered ten goals from eight games and made five assists for the third-placed side. He’s box office every time he steps onto the pitch and Ronaldo was approached by a fan for a selfie during his appearance in Portugal’s 5-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina last week. That incident didn’t put him off and CR7 scored twice as he stayed sharp for his return to Saudi football this week.
Ronaldo, who skippers Al Nassr, is overshadowing this summer’s big name signing, Sadio Mane who has scored six goals from nine games, a fine return if compared to other mere mortals! Visitors Damak are down in tenth but their Saudi Pro League results have picked up in recent weeks and they come into the game with three wins from three, scoring eight goals and conceding two. Former Tottenham and Burnley man, Georges Kevin N’Koudou is Damak’s danger man, with four goals and two assists.
Our Pick: Over 3.50 @ 1.88
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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