Al Fayha seek first win, Hamdallah faces favourite club

Matchweek 5 of the 2024-25 Roshn Saudi League concludes on Sunday with the competition’s only winless side attempting to get that elusive victory and a RSL legend up against the club he enjoys playing most.

Here’s our preview of the action.

Al Fayha v Al Riyadh

Al Majma’ah Sports City Stadium, Al Majma’ah - KICK-OFF 18:25 

Having finally registered a first competitive victory under new manager Christos Kontis – a 4-0 win on Monday in the King’s Cup – Al Fayha will be keen to get off the mark in this campaign’s RSL.

The Al Majma’ah side are the only team yet to win in the league this term, with three defeats and a draw, and thus sit bottom of the table. They picked up their first point last time out at Al Khaleej, so Kontis will be hoping his fortunes are beginning to turn around.

In contrast, Al Riyadh have started the season in fine form, building on an excellent 3-3 draw at Al Wehda in the opening matchweek to register two wins; their only defeat came at the hands of champions Al Hilal. Sabri Lamouchi’s men come into this match on the back of a comfortable King’s Cup victory, a 3-1 triumph at second-tier club Al Safa.

Al Fayha, though, have the longest current winless streak in the competition, at eight matches. Can they finally snap that unwelcome run?

Get your tickets for Al Fayha v Al Riyadh HERE 

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Al Shabab v Al Raed

Al Shabab Club Stadium, Riyadh - KICK-OFF 21:00 

In-form Al Shabab host Al Raed late on Sunday as they bid to secure a fifth successive win. The capital club have rebounded brilliantly since their opening-round defeat to Al Ettifaq, reeling off three RSL victories and then progressing safely to the last 16 of the King’s Cup.

Tuesday’s 3-1 triumph at fellow RSL side Al Kholood was notable in that Abderrazak Hamdallah struck twice; the summer signing, unavailable for the first couple of league matches, opened his account for his new club in Matchweek 4 to seal the three points against Al Taawoun. Hamdallah, remember, is only 14 goals shy of the RSL all-time scoring record.

In Al Raed, the Moroccan faces the team he has scored the most against (also 14) since moving to the Kingdom in 2018. However, predicting what Al Raed he will face is proving difficult; Odair Hellmann’s men have been pretty inconsistent this season.

They opened the 2024-25 RSL with a superb draw at Al Nassr, while they won 5-0 at Al Fayha – a result sandwiched between home losses to Al Qadsiah and Al Riyadh, Hellmann’s former club.

Interestingly, this is the most drawn fixture in RSL history, with 12 matches, although Al Shabab have the most wins against Al Raed in the competition, at 13, tied with their record against Al Wehda and Najran.

Get your tickets for Al Shabab v Al Raed HERE

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Al Taawoun v Al Ettifaq

Al Taawoun Club Stadium, Buraidah - KICK-OFF 21:00 

Both sides will be seeking to bounce back from defeat in Matchweek 4 when they do battle at Al Taawoun Stadium on Sunday night.

For the hosts, they lost 1-0 last time out at Al Shabab but have enjoyed a decent start to the campaign with two wins and a narrow, last-gasp away defeat at Al Ittihad. New manager Rodolfo Arruabarrena has also guided Al Taawoun to back-to-back wins in cup competitions: a 3-2 triumph at Bahrain’s Al Khaldiya in their AFC Champions Two opener, and Wednesday’s 3-2 extra-time victory at Abha in the King’s Cup.

Meanwhile, Al Ettifaq’s 3-0 defeat at home to Al Nassr represents the only match they haven’t won this season. Steven Gerrard’s side began with three straight victories in the RSL, while they got back to winning ways on Monday with a 2-0 King’s Cup success at home to Al Adalah.

Cameroon striker Karl Toko-Ekambi netted both goals to finally get on the scoresheet this campaign, giving Gerrard more potency up front for the visit to Buraidah.

However, Al Taawoun are proving a tough nut to crack at home: they have kept clean sheets in their past four home matches, their longest streak in the RSL.

Get your tickets for Al Taawoun v Al Ettifaq HERE