Al-Ettifaq (home)
- Saad Al-Shehri’s Al-Ettifaq Dammam have been a more solid unit since he took over as manager in January 2025 and they should hold the advantage over Al Shabab Riyadh in Saturday’s head-to-head matchup in Dammam.
- Al-Ettifaq come into this clash on the back of two consecutive away defeats, having lost 4-0 to Al Qadsiah and 3-1 to Al Hazem, but are much more solid on their own patch, where they have won two of their last two.
Al Shabab (away)
- Al Shabab Riyadh have won only two of their 12 away matches in the same league.
- The momentum in these two clubs’ campaigns are pointing in opposite directions with Al-Ettifaq looking to stay in the top half of the table and Al-Shabab, who are 14th with 25 points from 24 games, hoping to secure consistency under new management.
Head-to-Head
They have an even better record against Al Shabab Riyadh , having not lost to the visitors since early 2025, a run of three wins and two draws from five games.
Key Players
- They have conceded an average of 1.42 goals per home game in the current league campaign, but can be deadly in transition with Georginio Wijnaldum making great late runs from the advanced playmaker position.
- The Dutchman has scored 12 goals in 23 league appearances, including two of his side’s last six, and can be the difference in this fixture while Al-Ettifaq are a much better side at home where their front players are more effective.
- Carrasco’s goal threat is very real as he has contributed three assists in his last five appearances.
- Al Shabab will try to dominate the ball and create chances through Yannick Carrasco’s creativity and Al-Ettifaq will try to keep the ball in wide areas and counter-attack through the middle.
-
Recent stats:
- Wijnaldum: 12 goals in 23 league appearances.
- Carrasco: three assists in his last five.
- Conceded 1.42 goals per home game (Al-Ettifaq).
Betting Insights
- Al-Ettifaq are a solid bet to win this game at 2.97 as Al-Shabab have failed to win on their last two visits to Dammam.
- A low-scoring matchup is likely with Under 2.5 goals the best bet at 2.14 and Both Teams to Score - No coming in at 2.32.
- Al-Shabab have scored only 11 times in 12 away games in the Profesional League 2025/2026, which is why a clean sheet for the hosts seems very likely even if Al-Ettifaq are not always the greatest in their own box.
Prediction
Al-Ettifaq are a very solid bet to at least secure a draw in this contest and have enough goal threat in Wijnaldum to edge it.
