Matchweek 13 of the 2024-25 Roshn Saudi League, the final round before the competition pauses for the winter break, gets under way on Thursday, with a couple of new head coaches in place and all of the bottom three featuring.
Here’s our matchday preview.
Damac v Al Fayha
Damac Club Stadium, Khamis Mushait - KICK-OFF 18:10
It’s all change at Al Fayha with the second-from-bottom side parting company with manager Christos Kontis, meaning caretaker coach Alexandros Tziolis will take charge of the team’s final RSL match of 2024.
Damac will certainly not be the most hospitable of hosts, though; Cosmin Contra’s men have lost once at home in the top flight this season – and that came way back on Matchweek 1. Since, it’s been three wins and two draws, with the most recent victory the 2-1 triumph against Al Kholood in Matchweek 11.
Al Fayha will be wary of the threat posed by Georges-Kevin N’Koudou who, previous to Friday’s 2-0 defeat at Al Nassr, had five goals in his past six RSL appearances.
Still, Al Fayha have lost three on the bounce and are winless in their past seven in the league. In fact, their solitary RSL victory this term came at the end of September.
And history for this one isn’t on their side, either: Al Fayha have never beaten Damac in the RSL, with four defeats and four draws from their eight clashes.
Get your tickets for Damac v Al Fayha HERE
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Al Wehda v Al Okhdood
King Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium, Mecca - KICK-OFF 18:15
Ever-so-slightly further down the new-manager route, Al Wehda are preparing for their second match since Jose Daniel Carreno returned to the club.
The Uruguayan, who managed the Mecca side for a year between 2019 and 2020, was last week appointed as successor to Josef Zinnbauer, whose debut season in the Kingdom did not go as planned; Al Wehda have one RSL win since August and languish three from bottom.
However, the expected managerial bounce did not quite materialise last Friday, even if it took a superb strike from Al Ahli’s in-form Riyad Mahrez in Jeddah to see off their rivals.
Thursday’s encounter with Al Okhdood, though, could send Al Wehda into the winter break free of the drop zone. The Najran outfit sit just above Al Wehda in 15th place and are there merely on goal difference. Last week’s 2-1 reverse at home to Al Kholood increased the pressure on manager Stjepan Tomas, who has only two league wins in his debut season in Saudi.
Yet Al Wehda apparently love this time of year: they have recorded the most victories in the RSL during December, with 16. Indeed, they have won six of their past eight home matches in this month (W6 D1 L1), with the only loss coming against Al Ittihad - four years ago.
Get your tickets for Al Wehda v Al Okhdood HERE
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Al Shabab v Al Fateh
Al Shabab Club Stadium, Riyadh - KICK-OFF 20:00
Thursday rounds off with the third of the current bottom three taking to the pitch, when last-placed Al Fateh face the unenviable task of taking on top-four chasing Al Shabab.
Vitor Pereira’s fifth-placed side have stumbled a little of late, drawing 1-1 at Al Okhdood and then letting a lead slip against reigning champions Al Hilal on Saturday to eventually lose 2-1. Previous to that, Al Shabab had won three straight in the league.
In Al Fateh, they host a club in desperate need of some form. Jens Gustafsson’s team have lost nine of 12 RSL matches this term, including four of their past five. The lone win this campaign came in Matchweek 2 – the surprise success against Al Ahli.
Goals have actually been Al Fateh’s downfall – or lack thereof. They have found the net nine times in the league, the second fewest in the competition, behind only Al Fayha (seven).
And, sorry Al Fateh fans, but they will meet an in-form Abderrazak Hamdallah in the capital. The Moroccan, second in the RSL’s all-time scoring charts, has netted in three consecutive matches for his new club – and has 11 goals against Al Fateh during his time in the Kingdom.
Get your tickets for Al Shabab v Al Fateh HERE
