Sports Mole previews Thursday’s Saudi Pro League clash between Al Okhdood and Al-Nassr, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
The late Thursday night kick-off of the Saudi Pro League will see Al-Nassr go to Najran to face Al Okhdood at the Prince Hathloul Bin Abdul Aziz Sport City Stadium.
Al Okhdood enters Week 31 above the dotted line by the slimmest of margins, while Al-Nassr plays to keep the title race alive for at least a few more days.
Match Preview
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After gaining promotion to the Saudi Pro League last season, Al Okhdood’s main objective this season would have likely been to secure their top division status, but they still have a lot of work to do to achieve that goal.
After a torrid run of seven matches without a win, including six defeats and a draw, the club chose to part ways with Martin Sévela on April 17 after just 14 matches in charge and put their survival hopes in the hands of the former Damac boss Noureddine Zekri.
The new manager began his tenure with a defeat against his former club, but did not have to wait long for his first victory, with his current side securing what could prove to be a vital three points against Abha a week later.
This gave the Najran-based club a two-point buffer above the drop zone, although this was erased last week when they played out a goalless draw against Al Hazem, while Pitso Mosimane and co secured an against all odds 3-1 victory against Al Ittihad last Friday.
Al Okhdood now face an opponent who defeated them 3-0 in the reverse fixture, and another defeat here could see them fall to second last in the table if Abha avoid defeat and Al Tai beat Al Raed later In the weekend.
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Meanwhile, the 30th matchweek was bittersweet for Al-Nassr, who secured their AFC Champions League qualification for next season but also saw the title slip away from them almost completely.
Al Hilal won their postponed Matchday 28 match against Al Ahli to restore their 12-point advantage over Najd Knights, and with just four games left in the season, the Blue Waves will secure the title this week if they secure a point or better against Al Hazem on Saturday afternoon.
Without a doubt, 2023-24 will be a disappointment for Luis Castroon the side of, which brought people like Sadio Mane, Séko Fofana, Marcelo Brozovic, Aymeric Laporte And Alex Telles this season, but they look set to fail to win the league title for the second campaign in a row and have only managed to reach the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League.
Nonetheless, they will want to finish the campaign on a high and maintain their momentum until the Copa del Rey final, where they will have their last chance to stop Al-Hilal from winning the domestic treble this season.
Al-Alami picked up three points last week as they beat Al Wehda 6-0 at home, with Cristiano Ronaldo headlining the occasion. The Portuguese superstar scored three goals in the match, scoring the 66th hat-trick of his career, putting him 10 ahead of Lionel Messi (56).
Al Okhdood Saudi Pro League form:
Al-Nassr Saudi Pro League form:
Team News
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Al Okhdood will be deprived of the services of its central defender Andrei Burcawho was replaced due to a torn muscle just 23 minutes into their win over Abha, and he will likely see out the rest of the campaign from the bench.
Georgian defender Salomon Kvirkvelia came into defense in Burca’s absence last week and is expected to keep his place alongside Said Al-Rubaie in the central defensive duo, with Hamad Al-Mansour And Awadh Faraj left and right respectively.
Al Nassr have a few absentees for this match, but perhaps the most notable will be manager Luis Castro, who is banned from traveling after undergoing lung surgery last month.
Walid Abdallah (leg), Talisca (muscle), Abdulrahman Ghareeb (muscle) and Sami Al Najei will miss this match due to injury, while Nawaf Al-Aqidi is still serving his five-month suspension.
Al Okhdood’s possible starting line-up:
Victor; Faraj, Kvirkvelia, Al-Rubaie, Al-Mansour; Al-Habib; Al Zubaidi, Pedroza, Collado, Godwin; Tawamba
Possible starting lineup of Al-Nassr:
Ospine; Al Ghanam, Alawjami, Laporte, Telles; Al-Khaïbari; Yahya, Otavio, Brozovic, Mané; Ronaldo
We say: Al Okhdood 1-3 Al-Nassr
Although six of Al Akhdoud’s eight wins this season have come at home, they should struggle to face this star-studded Al-Nassr side, who go into this match as heavy favourites. The league title will likely officially return to Al Hilal this weekend, but we think Najd Knights will extend things for a few more days by winning this one.
For data analysis of most likely outcomes, scores and more for this match, please click here.
