Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Al Riyadhvs.Al-Nassr

sportsmole.co.uk, 21 May 2024, 20:55
Al Riyadh will be hoping to stay out of the relegation zone in the Saudi Pro League when they face cross-town powerhouse Al-Nassr at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium on Thursday evening.

The hosts are currently just two points above the dreaded dotted line heading into the penultimate match of the 2023-24 league season, while the visitors are set to end a second consecutive season as runners-up.

Match preview

While the title winners may already be decided, the race for top-flight survival is far from over, with Al Riyadh, Al Tai, Al Akhdoud and Abha all still battling to avoid joining Al Hazem in heading to the Saudi First Division League next term.

RIY, who are level on 31 points with Al Tai, currently sit atop that list owing to their marginally better goal difference, but they are far from safe, and a defeat here could see them head into the final week of competition in the bottom three depending on results elsewhere.

Odair Hellmann's side passed up a glorious opportunity to gain some breathing room last week when they conceded a last-minute goal to basement club Al Hazem, which saw them finish 1-1, leaving them just two points above the drop.

Despite their struggles this season, Al Riyadh are clearly determined not to go down with a fight. They are unbeaten in their last four games (W1 D3 L0), which is their longest run without defeat in the league this season and also pulled off an against-the-odds victory over Al Ahli during that stretch.

However, they now face the star-studded lineup of Al-Nassr, who beat them by a comfortable 4-1 scoreline earlier in the season. On paper, the hosts are likely to struggle here, and all indicators suggest that their top-flight fate will go down to their final match of the season when they face Al Khaleej.

Meanwhile, Al-Nassr come into this match following another titanic battle against arch-rivals Al-Hilal last week, which ended level after a controversial VAR decision in the 10th minute of stoppage time at the end of the match.

Al-Alami held a one-goal lead for the entire 90 and looked to be on their way to claiming what would have been a morale-boosting victory against the Blue Waves. However, in the dying moments, VAR called Spanish referee Jose Maria Sanchez to review an alleged foul by Sadio Mane in the Nassr penalty area.

After a lengthy review, and despite the contact looking as though it was outside the box, Mane was adjudged to have fouled Saud Abdulhamid in the area, resulting in a penalty which Aleksandar Mitrovic stuck away with aplomb to earn his side a share of the spoils.

That result brought an end to the Knights of Najd's five-match winning streak across all competitions and was the first points they had dropped at home since losing to Al Raed at the start of March.

Al Nassr will meet Al Hilal again in the King's Cup final at the end of the month, where Cristiano Ronaldo and his team will aim to prevent their city rivals from securing the domestic treble, with the Blue Waves having already secured the league and the Super Cup titles.

Al Riyadh Saudi Pro League form:

L

L

W

D

D

D

Al-Nassr Saudi Pro League form:

W

W

W

W

W

D

Team News

Al Riyadh will be without the services of three players due to injury, including their influential attacking midfielder Knowledge Musona, who has contributed to six goals this term, including scoring four himself and setting up a further two.

Saleh Al-Abbas and Alin Tosca are ruled out with a muscle injury and tendon rupture, respectively, and both players are likely to remain sidelined for the final two games of the season.

Ronaldo is currently one goal shy of equalling Abderrazak Hamdallah's record of scoring 34 league goals in a single SPL season, and he will fancy his chances here against one of the worst defences in the league.

However, the Portuguese superstar will have to do so without the services of Talisca, Mohammed Maran and Abdulrahman Ghareeb, all of whom are ruled out through injury.

David Ospina, who has been heavily linked with a move away from the Middle East in the offseason, will continue in goal with Nawaf Al-Aqidi still suspended and Waleed Abdullah having only just returned from injury.

Al Riyadh possible starting lineup:

Campana; Ali Alnwaiqi; Al-Shuwayyi, Al Shirekh, Al-Khaibari; Al-Shehri, Toure, Al Rashidi, Al-Harajin; Ndong, Gray

Al-Nassr possible starting lineup:

Ospina; Al Ghanam, Alawjami, Laporte, Telles; Al-Khaibari, Yahya, Otavio, Brozovic, Mane; Ronaldo

We say: Al Riyadh 1-3 Al-Nassr

The hosts have shown over the last few weeks that they are not willing to return to the second tier without a fight, but it is difficult to see them take anything from this match against the Riyadh giants.

Al Nassr will need to maintain momentum until the King's Cup final at the end of the month, and we feel they will secure a comfortable victory in this one.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.