Three is a magic number? How promoted trio have adapted to RSL

It’s an unfortunate reality in the world of football that promoted teams stand a far greater chance of being immediately relegated again once they return to the top flight.

In the case of the Roshn Saudi League, with the notable exception of last season, across the past nine seasons promoted clubs have finished in the relegation positions in every season. While two of those clubs - Al Batin in 2016-17 and Al Hazem in 2018-19 - eventually survived by winning the Relegation Play-Off, their fate was far from certain.

Last season proved to be a rare occurrence in which all of the promoted teams survived the drop, although Al Okhdood came closest to slipping straight back down. They finished one point clear of safety, while Al Riyadh finished two points clear, giving us some of the most memorable celebrations in league history.

That was the history confronting the 2024-25 RSL’s promoted outfits: Al Qadsiah, Al Orobah and Al Kholood. The latter were also navigating the fact this represented their first season in the RSL, providing an extra hurdle to overcome.

But after 10 rounds, all three teams are currently sitting clear of the relegation zone. Let’s take a look at how their respective seasons have fared so far, as the league has paused for the latest FIFA international break.

Al Qadsiah - 5th (6W, 1D, 3L)

Given the size and scope of their investment in the off-season, the prospect of relegation always appeared unlikely for the side from Al Khobar - and so it is proving after almost one third of the campaign gone.

Al Qadsiah's recruitment drive was substantial, seeing Nacho, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Koen Casteels, Ezequiel Fernandez, Julian Quinones, Nahitan Nandez and Gaston Alvarez all introduced into the squad. And that’s just the foreign contingent; they also raided the local market, adding talented Saudis such as Haitham Asiri and Qassem Lajami.

With all that groundwork put in, the endeavour in the window has paid off; Michel’s side are sitting pretty in fifth, two points off the top four and three behind third-placed Al Nassr. They went into the break on the back of three straight victories.

Al Qadsiah will get a chance to erase that gap to Al Nassr as soon as the RSL resumes, when they travel to the Riyadh giants in Matchweek 11. There, Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo will come up against former Real Madrid teammate, and current Al Qadsiah skipper, Nacho.

After coming up short against Al Ittihad recently, it will offer another opportunity for the new boys to claim a major scalp, and in the process, truly mark their return to the RSL for the first time since 2020-21.

Al Orobah - 13th (3W, 1D, 6L)

A look at Al Orobah’s recent form might lead one to believe they’d be in the relegation zone, with only one win and four losses from their past five RSL matches.

But context is important, and that sole victory did come at Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq, who admittedly are experiencing their own struggles this season. Sealed in Matchweek 7, it was a come-from-behind, 3-2 triumph secured by Cristian Tello six minutes from time.  

However, of Al Orobah’s four recent defeats, only the 4-0 reverse to Al Okhdood stands out as a particularly poor one for Alvaro Pacheco’s side. The other three losses came against Al Nassr, Al Shabab and Al Ittihad: three of the top four sides in the league as it stands.

That constitutes a difficult fixture list for any team to navigate, but the early wins Al Orobah banked keep them above the drop zone for now. They’ve also been boosted in recent weeks by the return of star signing Kurt Zouma, who has proven himself to be an integral player for a club seeking to retain top-flight status.

Al Kholood - 15th (1W, 4D, 5L)

With a solitary win so far this season, it’s been far from a blistering start for the RSL’s newest team. Yet, despite that, there have still been signs of their quality this campaign.

In the past few weeks, Al Kholood have taken points off both Al Nassr and Al Taawoun, which shows they possess the quality to match it with the best teams in the league. The 3-3 draw against Al Nassr, which arrived in Matchweek 8, came agonisingly close to being a victory in fact; Anderson Talisca converted a 95th-minute penalty.

Those results came after a coaching change, with Portuguese manager Paulo Duarte going out the door and replaced by survival specialist Ben Zekri who, as mentioned above, masterminded Al Okhdood’s stunning survival last season.

In the four RSL matches since the enigmatic Algerian was installed Al Kholood have managed three draws and lost only once, the 2-0 defeat at home to Al Shabab in their most recent outing. Subsequently, they sit 15th, outside the drop zone purely on goal difference.

As fate would have it, Al Kholood’s next two games come against Ben Zekri’s two former teams, Damac and Al Okhdood, both away from home. If the colourful coach can get a few wins on the board there, the RSL debutants can pull themselves well clear of the relegation battle - and help set up the rest of the season.