Al Najma vs Al Ittihad Preview – prediction, team news, lineups | Saudi King's Cup

Jeddah outfit eye big win to qualify for Round of 16 in Buraydah

King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia, gears up to host the Round of 32 fixture of the King’s Cup, where Al Najma face Al Ittihad in what is set to be a thrilling contest.

Al Najma got relegated from the Saudi top flight after finishing at the bottom of the points table last season with just 16 points from 34 games. They are led by Portuguese gaffer Jorge Mendonca, who has previously led teams like Al Raed and Al Jabalain.

They face a formidable opponent in Al Ittihad, and they need more than a miracle to advance past the Round of 32. They will play two back-to-back home games as they commence their season in the second division, hosting Al Jandal in the opening matchweek.

The former Saudi champions, Al Ittihad, finished fifth and failed to clinch a direct spot in ACL Elite. However, they recently got the better of Al Jazira in the qualifiers, 4-1, to book their berth in ACL Elite. They roped in German gaffer Jens Wissing, who has previously won the ACL 2 with Gamba Osaka.

They roped in Dion Lopy from Almeira and Mukhtar Sheikh from Al Ettifaq after key players like Unai Hernandez and Mario Mitaj departed Jeddah. They had a tough start to the Saudi Pro League after settling for a 1-1 draw against Al Kholood with ten men.

Kick-off:

• Location: Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
• Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium
• Kick-off time: 9:45 pm IST
• Date: Tuesday, 18 August
• Referee: TBD
• VAR: Not in use

Form:

Al Najma (in all competitions): W-L-D-D-L

Al Ittihad (in all competitions): D-W-D-L-L

Players to Watch

David Tijanic (Al Najma)

The Slovenian midfielder from Ljubljana has plied his trade with Turkish outfit Goztepe and Al Adalah before making a move back to Saudi Arabia with Al Najma. Despite a tough season where Al Najma got relegated, Tijanic made 5 goal contributions in over 20 games.

A technically gifted, agile, and creative attacking midfielder, he won the 1 SNL with Olimpija Ljubljana. acts as a primary playmaker and will be looking forward to getting the better of Al Ittihad’s midfield in the upcoming game.

Moussa Diaby (Al Ittihad)

The French right winger from Paris honed his skills at the youth academies of PSG before making a move to Leverkusen and Aston Villa, before finding his new home in Jeddah with Al Ittihad. He recently scored against Al Jazira in the AFC Elite Qualifiers.

A world-class, lightning-fast and direct winger, he is a primary attacking catalyst for Al-Ittihad. A senior international for the France national team, Diaby was part of the Les Bleus team that won the 2021 UEFA Nations League title

Match Facts

• These two sides are set to meet each other for the third time.
• Al Najma have lost all the games against Al Ittihad
• Al Ittihad won both games 1-0 against Al Najma

Al Najma vs Al Ittihad: Betting Tips and Odds

• Al Ittihad to win the game
• Moussa Diaby to score
• Al Najma 0-4 Al Ittihad

Injury and Team News

For the hosts, there are no injury concerns.

For Al Ittihad, Al Mousa is doubtful. Farhah Al-Shamrani is expected to replace Al Ghamdi, who is out due to a ligament injury.

Head-to-Head

Total games: 02

Al Najma won: 00

Al Ittihad won: 02

Draws: 00

Predicted Lineups

Al Najma predicted lineup (5-4-1)

Victor Braga (GK); Nasser Al-Haleel, Mohammed Al Fatil, Samir Caetano, Abdullah Al Hawsawi, Sultan Al-Essa; Bilal Boutobba, Nabil Dunga, David Tijanic, Ali Jasim; Felippe Cardoso

Al Ittihad predicted lineup (4-3-3)

Predrag Rajković (GK); Ahmed Al-Julaydan, Stephane Keller, Danilo Pereira, Faris Abdi; Houssem Aouar, Dion Lopy, Farhah Al-Shamrani; Moussa Diaby, Youssef En-Nesyri, Steven Bergwijn

Match Prediction

Unless Al Najma pull off a big upset, which seems highly unlikely, we expect Al Ittihad to easily get the better of Al Najma and advance past the Round of 32 in the King’s Cup with Diaby scoring a brace.

Prediction: Al Najma 0-4 Al Ittihad

Telecast Details

Saudi Arabia: Thmanyah

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