Al-Raed vs Abha Prediction (29.12.2023)

The festive season is still ongoing and in the next few days, we’ll see the final set of fixtures in the Saudi Pro League before they go on their festive break. We’re over half way through the campaign and although many teams know what they’re aiming for, there are bound to be a few twists and turns in the months ahead. Today, we’ll be taking a look at a fun clash between Al-Raed and Abha.

Al-Raed are really struggling to get a foothold in the top tier this season which is a shame for them, given their reputation as a club that has constantly been able to reinvent itself at the elite level. A relegation battle looms large but if they can start to click in the second half of the campaign, maybe they can make a real effort to fight back before things get out of hand.

After a 0-0 draw on the road to Al-Ahli, Al-Raed fought hard and long against Damac - only to come away with a 1-0 defeat. Then, in a big upset, they took on Al-Ittihad, bringing home a really solid 3-1 win to give their survival hopes a notable boost.

Last season was certainly an interesting one for Abha, but perhaps not for all the right reasons. They wound up finishing in 12th place in the league, just five points above the relegation zone when the final whistle blew. They also lost four of their last five, and it seems as if they haven’t quite been able to make the necessary adjustments thus far to fend off another relegation battle.

Abha were unlucky to lose 2-1 to Al-Khaleej in the quarter-final of the King Cup of Champions. They did go on to hold Al-Hazm to a 1-1 draw in a nice twist of fate, but when going up against Al-Hilal, they were somewhat humiliated as they slipped to a convincing 7-0 defeat.

Al-Raed and Abha aren’t exactly the two most inspiring teams in the Saudi Pro League and that much is an understatement. We’re looking at two clubs who are likely to be struggling for the remainder of the campaign, and for this game, we’re going to predict a draw.