Saudi Pro League Game : Preview Al Shabab vs Al Ittihad | Date: November 3, 2023 | Time: 23:30 Hrs. | Location: Al-Shabab Club Stadium, Riyadh

As game week 12 commences, we, Proleaguefootballsaudi.com share preview of Al Shabab vs Al Ittihad scheduled for Nov. 3, 2023 at 23:30 Hrs local time.

Gameweek 12 of the Saudi Pro League will match up two teams in need of a win: Al Shabab and Al Ittihad on Friday night at the King Fahd International Stadium.

After 11 games, the visitors have 21 points, while the hosts have 12 points, placing them in sixth place in the league standings going into this game.

Preview: Al Shabab vs Al Ittihad

Al Shabab is currently closer to the relegation zone than the top five in the league, a far cry from their form that saw them finish fourth the previous season.

The White Lions lost their most recent league match 2-1 away to Abha, their fifth loss in 11 games (three wins, three draws) after drawing and losing their previous two games before the international break.

The hosts enter this game fresh off a 2-1 King’s Cup victory over Al Fateh, where they had to overcome an early deficit thanks to two goals from Yannick Carrasco, the second of which proved to be the game-winning extra-time score.

Al Shabab decided to remove Marcel Keizer from his managerial position after they lost all five of their league games this season. Igor Biscan was named the new manager, and he has led his team to two victories in his first three games.

If Biscan’s team is to avoid dropping out, he will have to improve upon their dismal road performance, as they have only won one of their six away games this season, drawn another, and lost four.

Al Shabab vs Al Ittihad: Head to Head

At the beginning of the season, Al Ittihad, the reigning champions, were strongly favored to retain their title. They got off to a dream start, winning their first four games in a row while keeping a clean sheet in each of those games.

But recently, they have encountered some difficulties. The Tigers have lost three of their last four league games and drawn the other two, with their only victory coming last week in a 2-2 draw against Al Hazm at home.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s team won just once in five games this month, a 1-0 victory over Al Quwa Al Jawiya in the AFC Champions League and a 3-0 triumph over Al Fayha in the King’s Cup on a midweek night.

Even though Santos will need to deal with several issues for the duration of the season, his team has excelled in defense this year, giving up just nine goals, which is the second-best record in the top flight, so far.

In their most recent meeting, Nadi Al-Sha’ab prevailed 2-1 at home. They have gone undefeated against this opponent in their past three meetings (W2 D1 L0), outscoring them 5-2 during that span.

Team News

Iago Santos, a defender for Biscan, will not be playing in this game after receiving two yellow cards during their 2-1 loss to Abha last week.

The most likely candidate to replace Santos in central defense is Nader Al-Sharari, who would form a back four with Fawaz Al-Yami, Romain Saiss, and Hamad Al-Yami.

However, Santos is still without goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Jadani, so Marcelo Grohe will likely continue to start in goal for the visitors.

In defense, there are also two absences: Jota is still not eligible for selection, and Aseel Abed and Ahmed Hegazi are both sidelined by injuries.

Our Goal Prediction: Al Shabab 1-2 Al Ittihad

After their comeback victory over the weekend, the hosts will be buoyant, but they will be the team that is most likely to be happy if this game ends in a draw.

The visitors will probably go all out to win because they understand that they cannot afford to lose any more games this season. These teams typically play fairly close matches, so we anticipate that this one will be no different. However, we are betting on Al Ittihad to win by the final whistle.