With Eastern Derby, Al Ettifaq's Al Malki completes special RSL set

Derby Week is a new concept for this current Roshn Saudi League season, with three of the country’s biggest rivalries taking place in three separate cities across three different days of the same matchweek.

It promises to be a wild weekend of action full of the colour, vibrancy and atmosphere that makes these three fixtures - the Sea Derby between Al Ahli and Al Ittihad, the Capital Derby between Al Hilal and Al Nassr and the Eastern Derby between Al Ettifaq and Al Qadsiah - such iconic fixtures on the Saudi football calendar.

Having experienced the first two, veteran midfielder Abdulellah Al Malki will complete the set this weekend when he competes in his first Eastern Derby for Al Ettifaq, in what has quickly become a must-win game for Steven Gerrard’s side.

It’s been a difficult start to the season for player and coach, with Al Ettifaq languishing in 10th with only three wins from their opening eight RSL matches. Understandably, it is a far cry from where the club would’ve envisioned they would be almost a quarter of the way into the 2024-25 campaign, especially after they won their first three games.

With a trio of defeats and two draws from their past five RSL outings, it has been a lean period for Gerrard’s side, sliding them from third in the standings into the bottom half. As such, Al Ettifaq need a win this weekend, and who better than against their local rivals from Al Khobar?

Al Malki, on a season-long loan from RSL champions Al Hilal, was a prized recruit for Al Ettifaq in the summer transfer window. An experienced Saudi Arabia international, he arrived in Dammam complete with the winning mentality that has made Jorge Jesus’ Al Hilal a winning machine. Al Malki was part of the squad that last season clinched the top-flight title without losing a match.

But, at Al Ettifaq, the silky ball-player has been largely consigned to a bench role so far this season, managing 104 minutes in five appearances. However, he was afforded his first start of the season in the last round - a 1-1 draw with Al Fayha.

Having experienced both the Sea Derby and Capital Derby as a player with Al Ittihad and Al Hilal, not to mention the Saudi Clasico between the two, Al Malki knows what it takes in pressure environments. Hence, he could be the ideal midfield weapon for Gerrard to deploy this weekend.

If Gerard needs any further evidence of how Al Malki stands up under intense pressure, he need only look back at Saudi Arabia’s crowning moment of this generation, their come-from-behind 2-1 victory against Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Used by manager Herve Renard as a midfield stopper, Al Malki worked tirelessly all match to cut off the passing lanes and break up the Argentina attack - and did so with aplomb. Proving his talent going the other way, it was his pass that helped set up Saleh Al Shehri for the equaliser just after half-time at Lusail Stadium.

A faint touch from Feras Al Buraikan denied Al Malki an official assist, but it was his pass that split open the Argentine defence to create the chance.

That game demonstrated the best of Al Malki, and while the years since have been on the lean side, there’s nothing like a derby to bring out the best in someone. So, having sampled the best that Jeddah and Riyadh have to offer, now it’s time for the lead fixture in the Eastern Province.

This season marks the first Eastern Derby since the 2020-21 campaign, and it’s Al Qadsiah that has retained bragging rights since their last meeting in April 2021. That contest concluded 3-1 in favour of the visitors thanks to a hat-trick of penalties from Colombian Danilo Asprilla.

It’s been 1300-plus long days that Al Ettifaq fans have been left to stew on that result, and they come into Saturday’s encounter as perhaps underdogs. Courtesy of a summer of substantial investment, Al Qadsiah represent vastly transformed team since the pair’s most recent clash three-and-a-half years ago; currently, they sit fifth in the table, albeit with only one extra victory this season compared to Al Ettifaq.

But when derbies roll around, form counts for little. It’s all about pride and passion. Across this weekend in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam you’ll see that in spades, and especially from Al Malki, who will be out to not just secure three vital three for his current employers, but to prove that, after a few modest seasons, he still has what it takes to deliver when it matters most.

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