Al-Nasr Chases Fourth Victory
Al-Nassr will host Al-Taawoun on Friday, seeking a fourth consecutive victory in the Saudi Pro League, while Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli return to local competition after the latter missed the previous round due to their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Al-Nassr enters the fourth round with high morale after securing a perfect record in their first three matches, most recently a thrilling 3-2 away win against Al-Ettifaq. They overturned a two-goal deficit despite playing with ten men since the 12th minute following the red card of their goalkeeper, Bento.
Under manager Ange Postecoglou, the team has demonstrated notable attacking strength at the start of the season, scoring 10 goals in their first three matches while conceding only two, reaffirming their ambition to maintain their position at the top of the standings.
However, Postecoglou faces an unresolved question regarding the identity of the goalkeeper who will replace the suspended Bento ahead of the match against Al-Taawoun.
Nawaf Al-Aqidi is suffering from a shoulder injury, while young goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Atiqi lacks experience, a fact that became evident during the match against Al-Ettifaq when he conceded two goals from long-range shots.
Al-Hilal resumes their league campaign after missing the previous round, hosting Al-Khaleej, who drew in their first three matches.
The match between Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal was postponed to September 1 due to Al-Ahli’s participation against New Zealand’s Auckland City in the Club World Cup, which ended in a 1-0 victory for the Saudi team on Wednesday.
Other matches include Al-Riyadh versus Neom, and Al-Fayha versus Abha. Meanwhile, Jeddah rivals Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad will visit Al-Kholood and Al-Fateh, respectively, on Saturday, while Al-Ettifaq will face Al-Diriyah.
In other news, the English club Aston Villa has agreed to sell their striker Ollie Watkins to Al-Hilal, having accepted the Saudi club’s latest offer for the English international.
According to Sky Sports on Thursday, the transfer fee for Watkins is approximately 58 million euros (254 million riyals), after Aston Villa had previously rejected an earlier bid from Al-Hilal.
The English club’s stance changed in the final hours, agreeing to Al-Hilal’s offer, as Watkins himself expressed a desire to move to the Saudi league.
This agreement coincides with Aston Villa’s efforts to replace their departing striker, as they have reached an agreement to sign Senegalese forward Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea in a deal potentially worth around 75 million euros (328 million riyals).
