Pro League
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-Taee and Al-Ittihad.
Al-Taee Form GuideAl-Taee’s success can often be measured in their ability to vault out of the lower leagues, as opposed to any kind of consistent silverware. They were the runners-up in the Crown Prince Cup back in 1997 and they aren’t afraid to go on a cup run every now and then, but the real praise should be directed to those who came before and after who helped lift them up to their current status.
Following a win over Al Fateh, Al-Taee were unlucky to come away with a 2-1 defeat to Al-Hilal. They went on to drop a 1-0 loss to Al Akhdoud, and then just a week later, they went down to ten men and somewhat fell apart in a 3-0 defeat to Damac.
Al-Ittihad Form GuideLast season, Al-Ittihad confirmed their status as the best club in Saudi Arabian football as they won the Saudi Pro League. They led the way for long periods of the campaign and eventually, they came out on top. Alas, the manner in which they’ve kickstarted their latest season has many questioning their longevity, especially with turbulence behind the scenes.
After defeating Auckland City 3-0 in the first round of the Club World Cup, Al-Ittihad came unstuck against Al Ahly as they were beaten 3-1 in the second round. Since then, they’ve lost back to back games with a red card in both, losing to Al-Raed and Al-Nassr.
Match PredictionAl-Ittihad will feel like they’ve got something to prove, whereas Al-Taee are desperate to vault away from the relegation picture. This is going to be scrappy and plenty of cards are going to be flying around, but in terms of an actual prediction, we’re going to shoot for a draw.
