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Steffen Schmidt - August 31, 2023
Al-Ittihad vs Al-Hilal
Saudi Professional League
Date: 1 September 2023, Friday
Kick-off at 19:00 UK / 20:00 CET
Venue: Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium (Jeddah).
Al-Ittihad host Al-Hilal on Friday evening in a big Saudi Pro League derby in Gameweek 5 at Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.
The hosts sit atop the league standings with four wins in four games and they are the only team in the league without a single goal conceded so far in the season (a 12-0 goal difference).
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men eased past Al Wehda on Monday, picking up a 0-3 victory on the road despite their star striker Karim Benzema leaving the pitch before the half-time break through injury.
His replacement Jota was on target, as well as Romarinho and Igor Coronado who added a goal and an assist each on the occasion.
The center midfield with Ngolo Kante and Fabinho functions great for Santo’s squad and it will be very interesting to see how this duo will cope with one of the most lethal attacking lines in the competition on Friday.
Al-Hilal sit just two points behind Al-Ittihad at the top of the standings. They clinched a 2-0 win over Steven Gerrard’s Al Ittifaq on Monday.
The team’s main star Neymar is yet to make his debut as he missed the last several games through a minor injury. The Brazilian superstar will likely miss out on Friday as well.
Both teams are very tough to break down at the start of the season. They have conceded a combined total of two goals in four games. We expect an intense battle at the center of the park between two quality sides and the Under 2.5 goals FT pick offers value at the 2.10 odds.
As for the outcome, we fancy Al-Ittihad who are considered slight underdogs despite being the defending champions and despite the fact they are yet to concede in the 2023/24 Pro League campaign.
