Al-Nassr will hope to close the gap on the side at the top of the Saudi Pro League when they take on Al Ettifaq at Al Awal Park at King Saud University on Friday evening.

The hosts are currently second in the league standings and 10 points behind league leaders Al-Hilal, while the visitors are in eighth place after 17 matches.

Match preview

Al-Nassr head into this match after advancing to the King Cup semi-finals following a 5-2 win against Al-Shabab last Monday, leaving the possibility of winning a treble intact.

Luis Castro's side got back on track in the league with a 4-1 victory over Al-Riyadh last time out, which followed a costly 3-0 loss to league leaders Al-Hilal.

The Knights of Najd are now 10 points behind the league leaders having played a game less, accruing 37 points from 12 wins, one draw and three defeats, while Al Ahli and Al Taawoun are now within three points of overtaking them into the AFC Champions League qualification spot.

Before the loss to Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr were unbeaten in 12 league matches, and they will be hoping to put together another solid run to close the gap on the table-toppers, which means they have to follow the win over Al-Riyadh with another victory against Al Ettifaq on Friday.

The hosts have been formidable on their home patch this season and are carrying a four-match winning streak into this one, while they have not lost at this venue since the second week of the campaign.

Although, the Knights of Najd will be careful going into this fixture after losing 2-1 against the visitors in their season opener.

Meanwhile, Al Ettifaq are heavily up against it here, as they come into the fixture showing no form at all.

Steven Gerrard's side lost to Al Taawoun last time out, extending their winless streak in the league to six games.

However, the Knight of Ad-Dahna's last victory came on the road against Al-Wehda on October 28, which was their third away win in the league this season.

Al Ettifaq have taken 12 points from a possible 27 on the road, which ranks seventh in terms of away records, but they have only conceded seven goals in those matches, which is a record only two teams in the league can beat.

Meanwhile, Gerrard's side lost 1-0 to Al-Nassr in the round of 16 of the King Cup in October and could lose two games in a row against the Knights of Najd for the first time since 2020.

Team News

David Ospina is injured for this match, which will see Nawaf Alaqidi continue between the sticks for the hosts.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the Saudi Pro League top scorer, scoring his 16th goal in 15 league matches against Al-Riyadh last time out, and he is expected to lead the line once again for Al-Nassr.

Al Ettifaq will be without the services of Brazilian winger Vitinho, who has been sidelined with a tendon injury since September, while Moussa Dembele is expected to lead the line again as he looks to add to his seven league goals.

Demarai Gray could return to the starting lineup after completing his suspension for the straight red he received against Al Shabab two weeks ago.

Al-Nassr possible starting lineup:
Alaqidi; Ghanam, Al-Oujami, Laporte, Ahmed; Brozovic, Fofana; Talisca, Otavio, Mane; Ronaldo

Al Ettifaq possible starting lineup:
Victor; Khateeb, Tisserand, Hendry; Al Shamrani, Hazzazi, Henderson, Al-Oteibi; Wijnaldum, Quaison, Dembele

We say: Al-Nassr 3-1 Al Ettifaq

Al-Nassr have a solid home record and will win this emphatically if they bring their best game against a side that has struggled for a while.

For a side showing no form at all, facing a dominant side away from home is not the ideal assignment for Gerrard's men, and the mission will be to keep the result respectable.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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