Al-Ittihad will be looking to maintain their impressive early-season form when they face Al Akhdoоd in the Saudi Pro League on Thursday.
Having won four of their five matches this season, third-placed Al-Ittihad sit one point behind Al-Hilal and Al-Taawoun in the table.
Go tigers 🐅 pic.twitter.com/0Iyd49GGcH— Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) September 6, 2023
Go tigers 🐅 pic.twitter.com/0Iyd49GGcH
At the opposite end of the standings, Al Akhdoоd find themselves 13th – eight points behind Al-Ittihad – after taking four points from a possible 15.
Al Akhdoоd started their campaign with a four-game winless run, drawing 1-1 with Al Shabab on the opening day before suffering three successive defeats.
However, Al Akhdoоd picked up their first victory of the season last time out, claiming a 1-0 win against Al-Riyadh thanks to Leandre Tawamba’s second-half strike.
With five games in the books, only one team has scored fewer goals than Al Akhdoоd’s three in the Saudi Pro League this season.
That said, Al Akhdoоd do not possess the wealth that many of the league’s top teams boast, meaning they could struggle to compete this term.
On the flip side, Al-Ittihad's squad is littered with big-name players following a hugely successful summer transfer window for the club.
Al-Ittihad can call upon the likes of Karim Benzema, Fabinho, N’Golo Kante, Luiz Felipe and Jota, giving them a significant edge on Al Akhdoоd.
Managed by former Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Nuno Espirito Santo, Al-Ittihad have won four of their five league outings this season.
Not only have Al-Ittihad scored 15 goals this term (3 goals per game), but they have also conceded just four, underlining their strength at both ends of the pitch.
Head-to-head: Thursday’s clash is the first-ever meeting between Al Akhdoоd and Al-Ittihad, meaning there are no previous results to assess for this fixture.
Team news: Al Akhdoоd will rely on Florin Tanase to instigate attacks on Thursday, as the Romanian playmaker has contributed one goal and one assist this season.
As for Al-Ittihad, Abderrazak Hamdallah has scored five goals in as many games this term, while Karim Benzema has bagged two goals and two assists.
In terms of injuries, Al-Ittihad pair Ahmed Hegazy and Abdullah Al-Jadani are sidelined with cruciate ligament ruptures.
Given that Al Akhdoоd and Al-Ittihad have made contrasting starts to the season, the star-studded visitors are expected to make light work of the hosts.
Forebet predicts that Al-Ittihad will cruise to a comfortable victory on Thursday, scoring over 1.5 goals while keeping a clean sheet.