Football fans can watch all the action The ROSHN Saudi League LIVE and exclusive on FanCode
FanCode Streaming The ROSHN Saudi League Live
The ROSHN Saudi League has kicked off in style and fans can catch every bit of the action live, only on FanCode. From thrilling comebacks to star-studded showdowns, the season is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet. This weekend’s spotlight falls on a blockbuster clash as Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr go head-to-head with Karim Benzema’s Al Ittihad, in what promises to be one of the biggest football games this weekend.
Here’s a look at the key matches this weekend.
Al Hilal vs Al Okhdood, 25th September, 11:30 PM IST
A bumpy start to life in Saudi Arabia for coach Simone Inzaghi has been further complicated by a long-term injury to right-back Joao Cancelo. Under the Italian, Al Hilal won only one of their first three RSL matches and just about managed a 1-0 win over FDL side Al Adalah in the King’s Cup first round.
Giving away a 3-0 lead with 13 minutes to go to draw Al Ahli 3-3 has only served to exacerbate concerns at Kingdom Arena. Hosting Al Okhdood could be the perfect opportunity to turn things around for the Blues. Their record against the Najran-based side reads 13-0 over four encounters in the RSL, most recently 4-0 and 3-0 wins last season. Al Okhdood are currently rooted to the bottom of the league table with no points to their name and will be without star playmaker Sebastian Pedroza who was sent-off in their most recent outing. A 1-0 win in the Cup over Al Raed midweek could provide a bit of a spark in an otherwise worrying start to the season.
Al Ittihad vs Al Nassr, 26th September, 11:30 PM IST
All eyes will be on Alinma Stadium in Jeddah as local side Al Ittihad, led by a returning Karim Benzema, take on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in a top-of-the-table clash on Friday night. Both teams have bagged the full nine points so far and demonstrated impressive attacking qualities, being the only two sides to hit double-digit goals, but Al Nassr have shown they are equally solid in defence, conceding just one goal to Al Ittihad’s four.
Joao Felix has taken to life in the RSL like a duck to water, winning two ALJ Man of the Match awards, leading the scoring charts with five goals and seeing his through pass for Ronaldo voted matchweek 3’s Assist of the Week. He was also among the goals as Al Nassr cruised past Jeddah FC 4-0 in the King’s Cup. Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s brace last time out against Al Riyadh saw him leap above Al Ittihad legend Romarinho into seventh place in the RSL’s all-time top scorers list with 77 goals.
Meanwhile, Al Ittihad welcome the return of captain Benzema, having struggled to find goals in his absence, only beating Al Najmah 1-0 thanks to an added time N’Golo Kante strike and repeating the same scoreline in the cup against Al Wehda. Goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic also returns after completing his suspension for the red card in the 4-2 win over Al Fateh
Al Fateh vs Al Qadsiah, 27th September, 11:30 PM IST
Rounding up the weekend’s action is an all-eastern clash at Al Ahsa, with Al Fateh welcoming Al Qadsiah. The two teams sit on opposite ends of the table, with Al Qadsiah yet to lose a match and Al Fateh still without a win. Portuguese midfielder Otavio could make his Al Qadsiah league debut following a summer switch from Al Nassr, having returned from injury for the midweek King’s Cup win over Al Orobah. Al Fateh came away from Ha’il with the round-of-16 ticket, beating Al Jabalain 2-1.
