Preview: Al Fateh vs. Al Ittihad - prediction, team news, lineups

The visitors currently sit fourth in the Saudi Pro League and continue to try and place pressure on those above them.

Match preview

Al Fateh are in the midst of a poor run of performances which has resulted in them slipping down the league table as they have failed to win in their previous seven outings.

Slaven Bilic's men last recorded a win on December 23rd, and there is certainly growing pressure on the team from the fanbase to start delivering on the pitch.

However, if they are hoping to turn things around then Al Fateh will need to do something they have struggled with all season, which is to pick up three points at home.

Bilic has only guided his squad to three victories at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium, and that form is a big reason why the club currently sits in eighth place.

Three points could have a major impact though due to the division still being tight, as Al Fateh could potentially rise to sixth by the end of the weekend if other results go in their favour.

The visitors will be keen to ensure that does not happen, and considering they sit four places higher than their opponents in the league table.

However, much like Al Fateh, the Tigers are not coming into this weekend in the best of form after winning only once in their previous four outings in all competitions.

Al Ittihad were recently dumped out of the AFC Champions League by Al Hilal in the quarter-final stage, with Marcelo Gallardo's men failing to land a glove on them throughout two games as they were beaten 4-0 on aggregate.

With the Tigers 13 points away from the top two right now there is little margin for error in each game, and that pressure is something that Gallardo will be attempting to manage.

There was little to split these two teams the last time they met though, with an N'Golo Kante goal proving to be the difference maker as Al Ittihad took all three points.

Al Fateh Saudi Pro League form:

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D

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Al Ittihad Saudi Pro League form:

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W

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Al Ittihad form (all competitions):

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L

Team News

Saeed Baattia could be brought back into the Al Fateh team after being unavailable recently due to suspension, which could give a fresh boost to the matchday squad.

The pressure will be on Jason Denayer and the rest of the back four due to the attacking qualities of the visitors, who have scored 44 times already this season.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, it will likely be Cristian Tello and Lucas Zelarayan leading the line to try and cause problems.

The visitors can welcome back Kante following his suspension, which will provide both experience and energy into the midfield as the French international is a driving force for the team.

However, Karim Benzema is still unavailable for Al Ittihad due to the chronic pain he is dealing with, which will be frustrating for the fans considering the fact they have struggled for goals lately.

Al Fateh possible starting lineup:

Rinne; Al-Zubaidi, Al Daheem, Denayer, Buhimed; Al-Mogren, Ali, Saadane, Al-Saeed; Tello, Zelarayan

Al Ittihad possible starting lineup:

Al-Mayouf; Al-Olayan, Al Mousa, Hegazi, Kadesh; Al-Sahafi, Kante, Fabinho, Hawsawi; Romarinho, Hamdallah

We say: Al Fateh 0-2 Al Ittihad

Al Ittihad might not head into this match in good form, but their overall quality should be enough to see them take all three points this weekend.

The hosts are struggling massively at the moment, and the lack of confidence in the team will shine through here.

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