Promoted sides with differing fortunes meet, first take on third in Jeddah | OneFootball

Matchweek 13 of the 2024-25 Roshn Saudi League, the final round before the competition pauses for the winter break, continues on Friday, with divisional debutants Al Kholood looking to halt Nacho and Co, and the day closing with what should be an epic encounter on the west coast.

Here’s our matchday preview.

Al Hazem Club Stadium, Ar Rass - KICK-OFF 17:50

Two of this season’s promoted sides go head-to-head in Ar Rass, although they’re focused on opposite ends of the table.

Al Kholood have found their debut campaign in the Saudi Arabian top flight difficult, with the club two places and one point above the relegation zone. They are also one of four teams to have changed manager since the season began.

However, the appointment in October of Noureddine Ben Zekri is certainly having the desired effect, evidenced most recently in last week’s 2-1 win at Al Okhdood, the Algerian’s former employers. It marked Al Kholood’s second victory of the season.

In contrast, Al Qadsiah are flying high in fourth in the standings, level on points with third-placed Al Nassr and eight off the summit. Michel’s men are one of the division’s in-form teams, with last Friday’s 1-0 home victory against near rivals Al Khaleej stretching their RSL winning run to five.

As that scoreline suggests, defence has been key: Al Qadsiah have kept seven clean sheets this season – the most in the competition - matching their highest tally in a single campaign (2015-2016). Captain Nacho has been a rock at back, with the former Real Madrid man the only defender to have played all 12 RSL matches this season without being dribbled past.

Al Jouf University Stadium, Sakakah - KICK-OFF 17:55

Alvaro Pacheco’s Al Orobah are looking to keep the good times rolling when they welcome Al Riyadh to the north of the Kingdom in Friday's middle match.

Last week, the Sakakah side ended a sequence of four straight defeats by seeing off relegation-threatened Al Fayha by a single goal in Al Majma’ah. The win was Al Orobah's fourth of a more-than-decent first season back in the RSL in a decade and means the club will go into the winter break free from the drop zone - which surely represented a pre-season target.

Al Riyadh, meanwhile, have improved massively on last term’s flirtation with the drop, with manager Sabri Lamouchi proving an astute appointment in the summer. At present, the capital club are ninth in the table, even if they only recently got back to winning ways following four matchweeks without one.

In fact, last week’s 2-1 triumph at Al Fateh lifted Al Riyadh to 18 points - more than half of their total from last season (35). Also, they have won three away matches, only one fewer than their total from 17 matches last term.

Get your tickets for Al Orobah v Al Riyadh HERE

King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah - KICK-OFF 20:00

The round’s marquee match-up has a plethora of storylines, with one of the most prominent being it pits first against third.

League leaders Al Ittihad are the competition’s hottest side at present having won eight consecutive games – they have 11 victories from 12 – with Karim Benzema carrying the torch as captain and lead marksman. The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner’s goal in Saturday’s 4-0 victory at Al Ettifaq took him to nine for the RSL campaign.

Benzema’s tally is exactly that of old friend Cristiano Ronaldo, who struck both goals last time out in the 2-0 win against Damac to get Al Nassr’s title tilt back on track.

The previous matchweek saw Stefano Pioli’s team lose for the first time in the league this season – they were beaten 2-1 at home by Al Qadsiah – but Al Nassr rebounded brilliantly to stay third, and eight points from Al Ittihad.

Ronaldo, then, comes up against former Real Madrid teammate Benzema on Friday with fond memories, although those most recently were not shared at the La Liga club. Last season, the Portuguese star scored four times in two matches against Al Ittihad, including the double that set a new record for goals in a single RSL season (35).