Al Fateh v Al Nassr preview
Al-Nassr can scale back Al-Hilal’s lead on the high of the Saudi Professional League to some extent once they go to Al-Fateh on Saturday in a sport that appears set to be dominated by the return of Cristiano Ronaldo for the away aspect.
5-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo is more likely to return for the primary time in 4 matches, having signalled his discontent on the membership’s lack of switch exercise earlier than the Saudi switch window closed.
Head coach Jorge Jesus’s future additionally stays doubtful, with the Portuguese out of contract on the finish of the season and lacking quite a few press conferences for the reason that saga started.
If Ronaldo is to return in fashion, the file scorer in males’s footballing historical past is more likely to have to assist break down an Al-Fateh aspect in a low block with a knack for counter-attacking successfully.
Al-Fateh even have a Portuguese chief in Jose Gomes, whose aspect suffered a 9-0 defeat in his second match in cost to Jesus’s Al-Hilal in 2024.
Whereas that continues to be the heaviest defeat of Gomes’ managerial profession, Al-Fateh have a decent file this season of six wins and eight defeats from 20 league matches, together with a 2-1 victory over Al-Hilal in November.
They’re winless in six matches however drew their most up-to-date at fourth-placed Al-Qadsiah on February 7, when winger Matias Vargas scored his sixth league aim of the marketing campaign to take his tally to eight general.
A shock victory would elevate Al-Fateh above Al-Khaleej to ninth and preserve Al-Nassr third, some extent behind Al-Ahli.
Al Fateh v Al Nassr workforce information
Mourad Batna has scored 4 objectives this season however the Al-Fateh winger has not featured since sustaining an harm of their 1–1 draw at residence to Al Hazem on February 1.
That would give 21-year-old Wesley Delgado an opportunity to shine, whereas 34-year-old former Morocco centre-back or defensive midfielder Marwane Saadane may very well be essential if the underdogs are to earn a primary clear sheet in eight matches.
Striker Fahad Al-Zubaidi is on mortgage from Al-Nassr however is predicted to play.
Attacking midfielder Sami Al-Najei and ahead Saad Haqawi are doubts for Al-Nassr, for whom Ronaldo has scored 17 league objectives this season.
That places the 41-year-old third in that respect behind Al-Qadsiah’s Julian Quinones (18) and former England striker Ivan Toney (19), of Al-Ahli.
Influential defender Mohamed Simakan has returned to full health.
Al Fateh v Al Nassr predicted line ups
Al Fateh beginning XI: Fernando Pacheco, Saeed Baattia, Jorge Fernandes, Marwane Saadane, Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem, Zaydou Youssouf, Naif Masoud, Fahad Al-Zubaidi, Sofiane Bendebka, Wesley Delgado, Matias Vargas
Al Nassr beginning XI: Bento, Sultan Al-Ghannam, Mohamed Simakan, Inigo Martinez, Salem Al-Najdi, Marcelo Brozovic, Angelo Gabriel, Kingsley Coman, Joao Felix, Sadio Mane, Cristiano Ronaldo
The right way to watch Al Fateh v Al Nassr: TV channel, dwell on-line stream
Kick-off on Saturday is at 17:30 GMT (12:30 ET / 09:30 PT). Within the UK, the Saudi top-flight broadcast channel is the Saudi Pro League YouTube channel.
Within the US, FOX Sports activities are the Saudi Professional League dwell broadcasters.
Al Fateh v Al Nassr stats
- Al-Fateh have didn’t win eight of their final 9 residence video games towards Al-Nassr
- Their whole of 26 objectives on this season’s division is a mean of 1.3 per sport
- On common, Al-Fateh have been conceding a mean of just about two objectives per league residence sport in 2025/26
- That provides them the Fifteenth-best residence defensive file within the division
- At a mean of 12.6 fouls suffered per match, Al-Fateh are essentially the most fouled workforce within the division
- Al-Nassr have gained 14 of the 23 conferences between the groups, dropping 3 times
- They’ve gained 4 of the final 5 editions of the fixture
- At a mean of two.5 objectives per league sport, Al-Nassr have totalled 51 on this season’s high flight
- With the second-best away file within the division, Al-Nassr are averaging greater than two objectives per sport on the street
- They’ve allowed the bottom variety of photographs within the league, conceding a mean of solely 6.7 makes an attempt per match
- Ronaldo has scored in his final 4 consecutive appearances towards Al-Fateh, together with a hat-trick in 2023
- In whole, Ronaldo has eight objectives in six video games towards them
- Joao Felix scored a hat-trick as Al-Nassr gained the reverse fixture 5-1 in October, joined on the scoresheet by Ronaldo and Kingsley Coman
- Sofiane Bendebka replied in that sport, with Ronaldo lacking a penalty and Sadio Mane offering two assists
