Al Shabab Riyadh
- Noureddine Zekri has done a good job since taking over in February 2026, switching Al Shabab Riyadh to a more pragmatic and risk-managed approach that has helped stop the rot in results, but at the cost of some of their previous directness and fluidity.
- The hosts are on a poor run, having failed to win any of their last 5 matches, drawing 2 and losing 3, and they’ve been beaten 5-1 at home by Al-Taawoun and 4-2 by Al Nassr FC.
- Al Shabab Riyadh are 13th in Profesional League 2025/2026 with 32 points from 32 games.
Al-Ittihad
- Sergio Conceição has made Al-Ittihad a very difficult team to play against since taking the helm in October 2025, instilling a high-tempo, high-intensity approach in which the team presses relentlessly and transitions quickly between attack and defense.
- With 5 wins, 6 draws, and 4 defeats away from home in Profesional League 2025-2026, they’ve conceded 23 goals in 15 away games, which is a respectable number considering their approach.
- Al-Ittihad are 5th in the table with 52 points from 31 matches.
Head-to-Head
Al-Ittihad have won the last five meetings between these sides.
Key Players
- Houssem Aouar, with 6 goals in 21 appearances this term, remains their main goal scorer and is mentioned in the visitors' recent run that included wins over Damac FC and Al Taawon Buraidah.
- Yannick Carrasco remains their top scorer with 17 goals in 29 league appearances this season, and Ali Al-Azaizeh has scored 2 of the team’s last 6 goals and could be a spark on Sunday.
Betting Insights
- This fixture has a chance to be an interesting matchup between two teams with very different philosophies, with Al-Ittihad looking to dominate the game and Al Shabab more conservative.
- With the visitors in much better form and Al-Ittihad having won the last 5 head-to-head meetings between these two teams, the odds of 1.8 for the away team look very attractive, as 3.6 for Al Shabab and 3.9 for the draw.
Prediction
Ittihad to dominate once more
