The Saudi Pro League match between Al Ettifaq and Al Hazem will take place at Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium on Thursday at 8:30 pm IST.
On Thursday, in their last domestic game of 2023, Al Ettifaq welcomes bottom-ranked Al Hazem to Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium for the 19th matchday of the Saudi Pro League. Recently, Dammam-based Al Ettifaq suffered a 3-1 defeat against Al-Nassr, marking their eighth consecutive winless match across all competitions. Meanwhile, Al Hazem faced a 4-0 home loss to Al-Ahli Saudi, leaving them trailing by four points from safety in the league standings.
The Commandos faced another disappointing result last Friday, marking their seventh consecutive match without a win in this season, just one short of their longest winless streak since the 2021-22 season. Manager Steven Gerrard prioritizes adding new players in the upcoming January transfer window, emphasizing the need to show ambition. Gerrard aims to boost his team’s scoring ability, as they’ve only netted twice in their last eight games. Despite their recent struggles, Al Ettifaq has improved compared to last season, securing 24 points from 18 matches, five more than this time last year. Interestingly, they’ve performed better when trailing at home than when leading, and they’ve won their last three matches against Al Hazem, with their last home loss against them dating back to the 2019-20 season.
After a decent December start with a 2-0 win over Al Fateh, Al Hazem stumbled in their recent match, conceding multiple goals in the latter half. Despite most goals conceded (29 out of 46) happening at home in Rass, both their wins this season occurred there. Under Jose Daniel Carreno, the team consistently scores, with only two scoreless games since his tenure. Notably, they’ve only suffered back-to-back losses once since Carreno replaced Filipe Gouveia. However, since November, maintaining second-half leads has been challenging, dropping five points. Interestingly, all their wins against Al Ettifaq came away, with high-scoring victories.
Al Ettifaq probable starting lineup: Victor, Al-Otaibi, Tisserand, Hendry, Al-Khateeb, Al-Ghamdi, Quaison, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Al-Kuwaykibi, Dembele
Al Hazem possible starting lineup: Dahmen, Al-Bakr, Ricardo, Viana, Al-Aazmi, Al-Thani, Abousaban, Traore, Toze, Badamosi, Selemani
Al Ettifaq
| Opponents | Score |
|---|---|
| Al Nassr | 1-3 (L) |
| Al Taawon | 0-2 (L) |
| Al Shabab | 0-0 (D) |
| Al Akhdoud | 0-1 (L) |
| Al Ittihad | 1-1 (D) |
Al Hazem
| Opponents | Score |
|---|---|
| Al Ahli SC | 0-4 (L) |
| Abha | 1-1 (D) |
| Al Fateh | 2-0 (W) |
| Al Riyadh | 0-0 (D) |
| Al Hilal | 0-9 (L) |
| Last 5 matches- Results | Score |
|---|---|
| Al Ettifaq beat Al Hazem | 2-0 |
| Al Ettifaq beat Al Hazem | 5-2 |
| Al Ettifaq beat Al Hazem | 3-0 |
| Al Hazem beat Al Ettifaq | 3-2 |
| Al Ettifaq beat Al Hazem | 6-0 |
The Saudi Pro League match between Al Ettifaq and Al Hazem will take place at Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium on Thursday at 8:30 pm IST.
| Al Ettifaq vs Al Hazem | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Date | December 28 |
| Venue | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium |
| Kickoff time in Saudi Arabia | 6:00 pm (Thursday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 8:30 pm (Thursday) |
Football fans internationally can catch the live action via Shahid while those in Saudi Arabia can watch the match live via SSC.
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