Al Riyadh
- Al Riyadh have failed to win their last 5 league matches (W0, D3, L2) and sit 14th in the Saudi Arabia Profesional League 2025/2026.
- Under the guidance of Daniel Carreno, who took over as head coach on 14th November 2025, Al Riyadh have played a deep, low-possession game, defending in compact blocks and waiting for the opportunity to release the ball long and spring a counter-attack.
- Al Riyadh have found some success this season, particularly at home where they have won 2, drawn 1 and lost 1 of 4 games.
Al-Ettifaq Dammam
- Al-Ettifaq Dammam are having a much more successful season than Al Riyadh, sitting 9th in the league after 9 games, and the appointment of Saad Al-Shehri as manager at the start of January 2025 has seen them settle into a more structured, possession-based style.
- Al-Ettifaq try to be patient in possession, build up from the back and play a very balanced game, but are just as comfortable on the ball as they are pressing, especially when the opportunity presents itself.
- This game will be a test of Al-Ettifaq’s ability to pick the lock of a deep, compact defense, and Al Riyadh’s ability to exploit space on the counter.
Head-to-Head
Al-Ettifaq Dammam have failed to win in their last 2 away games to Al Riyadh.
Betting Insights
- Ahead of this fixture, the form of the two teams suggests that Al-Ettifaq Dammam are the favorites to win at a shade of odds-on (2.2), while Al Riyadh are 3.2 minnows.
- Al-Ettifaq Dammam have won 1, drawn 3 and lost 1 of their last 5 league games, while Al Riyadh have failed to win in their last 5 (D3, L2).
- However, Al-Ettifaq have only won 1, drawn 1 and lost 2 of their 4 away games in the league this season, while Al Riyadh have 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss from 4 home games this campaign, so the away form of the visitors and home form of the hosts suggests this game could be a draw, or a narrow away win.
- Under 2.5 goals at 1.83 is the main bet for this fixture as it looks like a chess game on Thursday, with both teams unlikely to break through.
- Al-Ettifaq have conceded an average of 2.00 goals away from home in the league this term, and it’s the away from home stat that should be focused on as this is a difficult place to go.
Key Players
- Moussa Dembele has had a difficult start to life at Al-Ettifaq Dammam but the Frenchman has found some good form recently, netting 3 times in his last 5 games.
- The presence of the veteran Frenchman adds some bite to Al-Ettifaq’s attacks and he can strike again on Thursday.
- Mamadou Sylla is Al Riyadh’s top scorer this term, who has scored 5 goals in 9 league games in the top position.
- His pace and strength will trouble Al-Ettifaq’s defense, but Al Riyadh are going to need some help in the form of an assist from playmaker Teddy Okou, who has 3 assists in 9 league appearances this year.
- Georginio Wijnaldum is Al-Ettifaq’s top goal-scorer this year with 4 goals from 9 games.
- Wijnaldum is the focal point of Al-Ettifaq’s possession game and can provide a good pass, or a good goal on his day.
Prediction
- The away form of the visitors and home form of the hosts suggests this game could be a draw, or a narrow away win.
- Backing Under 2.5 goals at 1.83 looks sensible given the tactical nature of the clash.
