Two sides at opposite ends of the Saudi Pro League will face off this week, with Al-Nassr taking on Al Hazem at Al Awal Park at King Saud University on Thursday afternoon.
The hosts are currently in second place in the league standings with 52 points after 21 games, while the visitors are languishing at the foot of the table with just 14 points over the same period.
Match preview
Al-Nassr will continue their quest to maintain pressure on Al Hilal this weekend and head into this match still seven points behind the Blue Waves, who are still unbeaten this term.
Al-Alami claimed a hard-fought 3-2 win over a stubborn Al Shabab over the weekend, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the opener from the penalty spot to register his 750th goal in club football before Talisca netted twice in the second half to help his side to an important three points.
However, Luis Castro's side could be without their talisman for this match as Ronaldo could be facing a two-match ban for making an obscene gesture toward the home crowd, who were heard jeering the Portuguese superstar, chanting Lionel Messi's name several times during the match.
Nevertheless, even if the Knights of Najd are to be without their captain for this match, many would agree they have more than enough class in their ranks to get a result here, especially coming into the fixture riding a nine-match winning streak and unbeaten in their last 10.
The hosts won the reverse fixture with ease, smashing in five goals while conceding one, marking their fourth straight win over Hazm dating back to February 2020. They have also outscored this opponent 13-3 in that time.
Meanwhile, after securing promotion to the top flight last season, Al Hazem look destined to head straight back to the Saudi First Division League this term unless they can find a run of results in the second half of the campaign.
Hazem Al Samood have recorded just two wins in the league this season, along with eight draws and 11 losses, leaving them six points behind Al-Riyadh, who are the first side above the dotted line.
Their poor results from the start of the campaign saw the club part ways with Filipe Gouveia just 10 matches into his tenure as manager, replaced by Daniel Carreno, who has now registered 11 points in his first 12 league games.
The visitors played out a 1-1 draw at home to Al Khaleej last week, marking their fifth consecutive match without victory, while on the road this term, they are yet to win a match, currently holding a record of six draws and four losses in 10 outings.
While pulling off a victory here seems unlikely, Carreno will be hoping that his side can put up some sort of fight to give them confidence before their crucial relegation battle against third-bottom Al Tai next weekend.
Team News
Al Nassr are still without three of their first-team goalkeepers, with David Ospina and Raghed Al-Najjar both out due to injury, while Nawaf Al-Aqidi is still serving a ban handed down by the Saudi Football Federation. Waleed Abdullah should continue in goal this weekend.
Should Ronaldo be ineligible to play here, it could leave the door open for Ayman Yahya or Ali Al-Hassan to make the starting 11, while Otavio and Talisca will likely play a more advanced role in attack.
Carreno took off Brazilian midfielder Vina before the halftime break with what appeared to be a knock last week against Al Khaleej, and he is likely to remain sidelined for this match, which should see Basil Yousef Alsayyali step into midfield.
Paulo Ricardo made amends for his own goal last week by netting the equalizer for Hazem in the second half, and he should continue in central defence alongside former Braga defender Bruno Viana.
Al-Nassr possible starting lineup:
Abdullah; Boushal, Al-Amri, Laporte, Telles; Al-Khaibari, Brozovic; Talisca, Yahya, Mane, Otavio
Al Hazem possible starting lineup:
Dahmen; Mhemaid, Ricardo, Viana, Al-Aazmi; Al Salman, Moreno; Al-Thani, Alsayyali, Toze; Badamosi
We say: Al-Nassr 4-1 Al Hazem
Al-Nassr have been excellent at home this season and head into this match unbeaten in their last eight league games on home soil, including seven wins and a draw. Al Hazem, on the other hand, are yet to win a match on the road and are winless in their last five games overall. We feel this should be an easy three points for the Knights of Najd.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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