Champions Elect: How RSL title race looks going into Derby Week

The second Derby Week of this season arrives at a time when the Roshn Saudi League title race is so close and fiercely contested that the tension could be cut with a knife.

As the top teams take to the pitch each and every week, there is a nervous excitement that permeates. All teams have dropped points, while each have also offered get-out-of-jail performances to steal a victory.

The race took another twist just before the international break, with both Al Qadsiah and Al Ahli dropping points to leave Al Ittihad and Al Hilal with the advantage. Only four points separate the fierce rivals.

This weekend, leaders Al Ittihad take on fifth-placed Al Ahli this weekend in the Sea Derby, runners-up Al Hilal host nearest-chasers Al Nassr in the Capital Derby, and fourth-placed Al Qadsiah welcome a resurgent Al Ettifaq - who sit seventh - in the Eastern Derby.

To mark what promises to be a major occasion, we look at the run-in for each club, the key players and the crucial matches that could decide their respective fates.

1st: Al Ittihad - 61 points (+35 goal difference)

It’s been a superb return to form for the 2022-23 champions this season after a disaster of a title defence last term, in which they finished fifth.

Led expertly on the pitch by Karim Benzema, and with a new coach at the helm in Laurent Blanc, Al Ittihad have looked a different side with their off-season recruits all making an impact. With a four-point lead with nine games to play, their future rests in their hands.

KEY PLAYERS

Karim Benzema

The French legend has looked a different player this season, leading the way with 16 goals and eight assists to sit top of the 2024-25 charts for goal contributions.

But aside from the goals and assists, the leadership Benzema has provided has been invaluable. With such big-game history throughout his career with Real Madrid, there are few situations that would faze the 37-year-old.

And, even when Al Ittihad have looked like dropping points this campaign, so often it has been their talisman who has rescued them.

Moussa Diaby

The French winger has been worth every penny Al Ittihad paid to sign him from England's Aston Villa in the off-season, leading the league with assists, with 13 so far this campaign.

With key personnel sidelined with injury in the run-in, such as Houssem Aouar and Steven Bergwijn, even more importance will be placed upon the 25-year-old to provide the creativity and spark in the final third.

Saad Al Mousa

One of a handful of Al Ettifaq products who swapped the East Coast for the West, centre-back Al Mousa has been a breath of fresh air since his arrival. Thus, he has grown into a permanent fixture in Al Ittihad's defence, earning a place in the most recent Saudi Arabia national team set-up.

The 22-year-old's calmness on the ball and constantly improving rearguard qualities have allowed Blanc to rotate his foreign contingent as needed, fielding either Mario Mitaj or Danilo Pereira, while complying to the eight-man quota and navigating injuries.

Al Mousa has made 20 RSL appearances so far and continues to establish himself as someone Al Ittihad can build around for many years to come.

KEY MATCHES

Sea Derby vs Al Ahli (April 6)

When the fixture list is released every season, the first matches those of either persuasion in Jeddah circle are the ones against their bitter local rivals.

With Al Ahli dropping back in the title race after losing to Al Okhdood in Matchweek 25, they’d love nothing more than to play spoiler for their crosstown foes when they meet in the first RSL game back after the international break.

Al Nassr (May 2)

Any match between those heavyweights is box office, and this one should be no different. Al Nassr still harbour title ambitions of their own, so for them they’ll need to take three points off Al Ittihad here if they're to stand any chance.

Al Shabab (May 21)

A trip to face Al Shabab in the penultimate game of the campaign is a tricky little encounter for Blanc’s side.

Smashing six past Al Orobah before the international break, Al Shabab are now five games undefeated and will be a tough team to navigate at such an important juncture. They are also Al Ittihad's upcoming opponents in the King's Cup semi-final.

BIG QUESTION

How will Al Ittihad cover the loss of pivotal personnel during the final weeks? An injury crisis, of sorts, has struck at Al Ittihad in recent weeks that has sidelined key players at the wrong time of the season.

Bergwijn suffered a foot injury in Matchweek 25 that will reportedly keep him sidelined for a few weeks, with the Dutch star returning home to receive treatment.

Houssem Aouar also went off against Al Riyadh with a hamstring injury, with the timing of the international break helping him as he recovers from that. However, it remains to be seen if he will be fit in time for the Sea Derby.

Mario Mitaj, meanwhile, will undergo abdominal surgery in London. The rare good news on the injury front is that defenders Abdulelah Al Amri and Ahmed Shrahili should be fit to return soon.

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2nd: Al Hilal - 57 points (+44 goal difference)

After starting the season where they left off, Al Hilal were the team to beat again through the opening months.

But a rare form slump in recent matchweeks saw them cede control to Al Ittihad and assume the role of the hunter rather than the hunted. After a stinging 4-1 defeat to Al Ittihad in the Saudi Clasico, the scales appeared to have been tipped in the Jeddah club's favour as they took a seven-point lead.

But you can never count out Jorge Jesus’ men and they return to action four points behind, stalking Al Ittihad and waiting for any slip to pounce upon.

KEY PLAYERS

Aleksandar Mitrovic

The Serbian’s return to full fitness and health can’t come soon enough. This isn’t the first time the Serbian has missed matches since joining Al Hilal, but it’s now that they’ve felt the effect of it. Marcos Leonardo deputised with plenty of goals, but the presence of Mitrovic adds so much to the attack.

Ruben Neves

The Rolls-Royce of the Al Hilal midfield, Neves has barely put a foot wrong in blue since arriving from Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers at the beginning of last season.

Whether it’s breaking up play or his set-piece delivery, Neves' importance cannot be overstated, and together with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, he has forged one of the best midfield duos the RSL has seen.

Hamad Al Yami

The 25-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Al Shabab, probably didn’t expect to play such a leading run in the final stretch.

However, the injury to Joao Cancelo has presented an opportunity, with Al Yami looking like he’ll be given first crack at deputising for the Portuguese full-back across the remaining months of the season.

KEY MATCHES

Capital Derby vs Al Nassr (April 5)

So much hinges on the results of Derby Week across the country, and that is certainly the case in Riyadh where Al Nassr will be desperate to take three points to keep themselves in the hunt. The Capital Derby is always a must-watch - and this should be no different.

Al Shabab (April 23)

Like with Al Ittihad, a clash with Al Shabab is a tricky one to negotiate, especially so for Al Hilal given this history of the rivalry between the two clubs. If their past few matches are anything to go by, this one promises be a cracker.

Al Qadsiah (May 27)

This is no easy way for Al Hilal to conclude the season, especially after Al Qadsiah inflicted defeat on Al Hilal earlier in the season in dramatic fashion.

If Al Hilal need something from this game, they’ll be made to work incredibly hard for it against Michel’s side, who have been a revelation this season. And who knows? If results go their way, either team could be going into this game with the title a mere 90 minutes away.

BIG QUESTION

Are Al Hilal out of their slump in form? Their 2-0 win against Al Taawoun right before the break was, remarkably, the first time they’ve recorded back-to-back victories in the league since January, which seems incomprehensible for a team that didn’t lose a single game last season.

Across February and March in all competitions, Al Hilal won two of seven, and lost three of four. Since, though, they strung together three on the bounce, including a win against Pakhtakor in the AFC Champions League Elite to advance to the quarter-finals.

So have Al Hilal turned a corner or are they still vulnerable heading into the final few months?

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The Chasing Pack

Slightly further back are Al Nassr and Al Qadsiah, with both locked on 51 points. With only nine games remaining, a 10-point margin is a significant one to try and bridge, and at 13 points, that gap is even more difficult to close for Al Ahli.

Yet you can bet none of the trio will give up on until its mathematically impossible.

Al Qadsiah will be frustrated by their defeat to Damac last time out, which saw them drop from third spot and slip a further three points behind in the title race.

Al Nassr, meanwhile, will also be ruing their own dropped points, against Al Ettifaq, Al Orobah and Al Shabab that dragged them out of the direct title fight at the top of the table.

But with Cristiano Ronaldo and Co having games against both of the top two, they’ll still fancy their chances of clawing their way back into contention.